An Ippo in time
by chimmon
Summary: Makonochi Ippo has somehow found himself in the past just as he was going to start boxing. What will he do differently if given a chance?
1. The First Step

The First Step

Ippo walked slowly down the road. The loss to Date was beginning to settle in. The fight had been close, very close. Ippo couldn't remember the last half of the match, but from the videos it was obvious how evenly the Japanese Featherweight Champion and the 1st ranked challenger had been matched. It was also apparent just how much of a gap between them there still was.

"Your punches are light."

Date's words echoed in Ippo's mind. In the match it had felt like his punches weren't affecting the defending champion at all. In the video he could see that Date had been hurt by his punches. It wasn't that he wasn't strong - rather, Date had a motivation that he lacked. The realization had haunted Ippo. Other people being faster, stronger, tougher, or more experienced than him wasn't new. Takamura reminded him of it every day (often vocally). The problem was that Date was more enthusiastic than he was. Boxing was Ippo's life! He loved it more than anything! To lose in passion was just too much.

There was also the fact that Date was going to challenge the world. Relinquishing his title and leaving Japan. Ippo would never have a chance to fight him again.

Ahead on the side of the road Ippo saw the tree where his dreams of boxing had begun. Takamura had saved him from being bullied, and shown Ippo his punching skill by jabbing two handfuls of leaves from the tree as they fell. It had taken Ippo a week of practice, but he had managed to get the required 10 leaves by the promised day. That was when his life had changed and he had started along the path of a boxer.

The tree looked stoic in the moonlight. Peaceful. Ippo closed his eyes and then kicked the wooden trunk. The tree shook and leaves rustled down through it's branches. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. In less than 2 seconds Ippo quickly snatched the leaves from mid-air. His relaxed grip and snappy punch at the end caught each leaf in rapid succession. With melancholy eyes, Ippo looked down at his hand bathed in sunlight and slowly opened it. The leaves floated away on the breeze, symbolic of the opportunities he had lost alongside his last match.

* * *

Takamura was impressed. This kid's jabs were amazingly polished, though the ones at the end had looked a lot sharper than the ones towards the start. Now the kid looked all depressed. Did he not catch enough? Takamura had seen exactly 10 punches - did one of them miss a leaf? No, it was exactly 10 leaves that were floating away on the wind. The kid must've only thought he missed one. Guess his eyes aren't that sharp yet. Only one thing to do.

*DOOON*

A good punch to the top of the head. Let it never be said that there wasn't a problem Takamura couldn't fix with a punch. The kid turned around in surprise.

"Takamura-san?"

"Heh, I have to hand it to you kid those were nice jabs." And in only a week the thought silently. Now he remembered that it was one week ago that he'd promised the kid he'd train him to be a professional boxer if he could catch 10 leaves by today. Takamura hadn't expected him to pull it off, much less with only one hand, so he'd forgotten about it by the next day.

"T-Thanks..." The kid was blushing. "Uhmmm...is it morning? I thought it was nighttime." So he'd been here all night, and that's why he looks so tired. There was a simple solution to that too.

"Here. Come hit me." Raising his right hand, Takamura called the kid to show him some more jabs. Indeed, punching was a useful tool.

The kid still looked confused, but complied with the request. After a few jabs his mood seemed to have improved dramatically. "Alright, Good!" Ippo continued with the jabs. "Good! Good!" Faster and faster the blows landed against Takamura's open palm. A light had appeared in the kid's eyes. "H-Hey. Hey!" Now it was going a bit far. The punches were coming quick and hard now. "Wait!" The kid didn't stop. On one hand he now had a huge smile, on the other Takamura's hand was really starting to sting. "That's Enough!"

*DOOOOOON*

Annoying brat. He'd tried being patient, but this was too much. Besides he had the rest of his run to finishing before practice at the gym. Takamura started to run along the road, but the kid was now chasing behind him.

"Don't follow me!"

"Wait for me... Takamura-saaaaaan!"


	2. A Second Spar

A Second Spar

Ippo followed Takamura back to the gym. As he ran after his senpai, thoughts kept on trying to form in his mind, but each one was more outlandish than the last. He was pretty sure he'd been out for a walk during the night, thinking about his first loss and what was to come in the future. The next moment the sun was up and Takamura was there congratulating him on his jab. It was just like the 2nd time he'd met the outspoken boxer, when he had managed to overcome the first hurdle Takamura had set for him. Now that Ippo thought about it, he was wearing different clothes. Were these the same ones he'd worn on the promised day? He couldn't remember.

Takamura was taking a rather sedate pace, but Ippo found himself struggling to keep up. Was he hallucinating? Did he really go back in time? Was his career real? Becoming a professional boxer and fighting for the championship felt like a dream. It was certainly a better life than he had ever expected. Could he had imagined all of that? It didn't seem possible, but surely that was more reasonable than him somehow traveling to the past. With a determination that could be called equal parts heroic and willfully ignorant, Ippo decided to put it out of his mind and concentrate on running. They would reach the gym soon.

The Kamogawa Gym where he'd spent so many hours...or would spend...or might spend. Ippo blushed furiously as Takamura showed him off to his old...or future...or possible gym-mates.

* * *

Takamura's grin grew larger. He'd found someone with tremendous potential and brought him back to the gym. Now he would prove that he was as amazing a coach as he was a boxer. He'd show that old octopus head that coaching wasn't so hard. He could also push off chores and errands on his new kohai.

"Takamura!"

The old man looked furious as he stormed up. The coach was going on about him bringing in a new boxer who wanted to go pro. As usual he was spouting some nonsense, and as usual Takamura didn't bother to pay attention. The old octopus had a point though, the kid didn't look like a contender in the slightest. Ippo didn't possess an ounce of fighting spirit.

"Just test him then!" Did he have to come up with all the ideas around here? If coach didn't like the look of the kid then he should just try him out. Didn't he have any confidence in his best fighter's talent scouting? Though looking at Ippo - it was hard to fault the old man for having his doubts.

"We'll have him spar."

Takamura was taken back by the coach's decision. Sparring from the start as a test? Well, it didn't matter. The kid would surprise him, of that he was certain. If nothing else Ippo's jab was close to professional level with only a week's worth of practice. As they made their way out of the locker room, the old man pointed to the ring in the corner where the only other boxer with any talent the gym had was working out.

"Let's see how he does against Miyata."

"Hmmmm... Suddenly this has become interesting." Takamura looked down at Ippo expecting him to be a nervous wreak, instead he found that his kohai was staring intently at the other boy.

"I get to spar against Miyata-kun?" There was an un-mistakable eagerness in Ippo's voice.

"Yeah... do you know him or something?"

"Miyata-kun is the greatest! His speed and skill are un-matched! He's an amazing out-boxer who always keeps his cool, and likes to finish fights using his awesome counter! He has 5 wins 1 lost and 1 draw."

*DOOOON!* Takamura punched the top of Ippo's head again.

"What are you talking about? 5 wins? He's not even a professional yet, though he's more talented than most of the trash that take up pro-boxing. The rest of that was very specific...are you a stalker of his or something? I thought you didn't know about boxing a week ago."

"U-Uhm...w-well you see...eh..since Miyata-kun is so close in age to me, I paid attention to him when I asked about the gym the last time I was here. A-After you ran o-out on me."

*sweatdrop*

"Just get in the ring stalker-kun. Try not to get a nosebleed or something."

Ippo's face was bright red as he entered the ring. Facing off against Miyata, he made a very polite and deep bow and introduced himself. After he straightened up, Ippo's expression quickly changed to a look of determination that Takamura hadn't seen before.

"Is this the same kid that was getting beaten up a week ago? It's like he's a different person." The professional boxer mumbled to himself as the fight began.

* * *

Miyata looked at the newcomer they wanted him to spar with. The kid definitely looked like he was in good shape, but the way he held himself was more reminiscent of a scared little forest animal than someone who was about to get into a fight. He was busy bowing repeatedly to Takamura after the larger man had punched the top of his head. If they wanted him to show the new blood the ropes; what it was like to box for a few rounds...he'd oblige them. It was close to the end of his morning workout and he could probably handle a few rounds before cooling down.

As Makunouchi stepped into the ring his face and demeanor changed drastically. A look of determination took the place of the timid expression he was wearing before. Miyata had seen people switch like that before, but it was always from flight to fight before. Ippo's expression wasn't one of blood-lust or killing intent, but it was very un-nerving.

*GON* The bell rung.

Ippo dashed in and hit him with a short body blow, or rather it looked like he tried to do something like that. He was holding himself nicely, and had a very low and compact stance, but his moves were slow and rough. Miyata easily moved out of the way of his punches and returned several jabs to Makunouchi's head. Again and again Ippo charged at the more experienced boxer, but never came close to hitting. Miyata started to use his right hand when after a near minute of taking (and blocking) his lefts hadn't managed to slow the surprisingly well-built newcomer down. The bell rang to signify the end of the first round as Miyata was circling and jabbing once again. In Miyata's corner, his father was waiting for him with a stool and some water.

"That kid is made of something else."

"His defense is pretty good. His punches are slow, but he's only trying for small quick blows. I can't get in many jabs before he gets his gloves back up."

"It's the peek-a-boo style. He doesn't have any experience, that's plain to see, but he must have watched a lot of videos. Probably copying Tyson or something. He does have a good sense though. Trying to dash in and deliver small body blows is a good strategy against a boxer like you."

"There's no way to counter those hits either. He's too short. Trying to do a body blow on him while he's hunched over like that isn't going to work."

"Quite impressive for having never sparred before."

"I agree."

In the other corner Takamura was gesturing and talking. Makunouchi was nodding with that same look of determination that he had before.

"Takamura is giving him some pointers. This next round will probably be quite different."

*nod*

The bell rung and the two boxers met in the center of the ring again. Instead of trying to dash in, Ippo was slowing sliding towards Miyata. When in got in range, he let loose with a series of jabs. Unlike his body blows these were quick, sharp, and polished. Almost the technique of a pro. Even with the flurry of lefts that Ippo was throwing, it was simple for Miyata to block and dodge them. When inexperienced people boxed, they wound up wearing themselves out on their own. A jab that missed cost a lot of stamina since you had to stop and pull back your arm in addition to throwing the punch in the first place. Soon Ippo would reach his limit and then Miyata could capitalize on his opponent's condition. The punches never stopped. Several times it felt like Ippo was about to run out of stamina, but always another flurry of jabs followed. Then the second round bell rung, and Miyata returned to his corner.

"That kid has a lot of stamina."

"Considering that Takamura brought him in he's probably a delinquent. Must be used to brawling, just not boxing."

"If that's the case his stamina won't last. Punk fights are over quick. In any case, keep your distance."

"Don't worry, my arms sting just from blocking his jabs. I'm going to avoid him until he makes a mistake and throws a big punch I can counter."

Makunochi came out of his corner and approached Miyata with the same sliding movement he used in the previous round. Once again he got to within punching distance. This time when he began to jab, Miyata dodged to the left and began to circle the newcomer. The out-boxer continued his clockwise circle, making it harder for Ippo to hit him with his left jab. All the while Miyata jabbed at Makunochi's head at irregular intervals. Slowly and surely Ippo kept on advancing towards the quicker fighter, but Miyata always remained out of range of him. The bell rung and the 3rd round was over.

"His punches may be amateurish, but his ring sense is pretty good."

"I'd have expected him to try rushing forward like he did in the first round, or to try throwing a right."

"Takamura is looking awfully pleased with himself over there."

"Just do the same thing as last round."

*nod*

The 4th and final round was a near mirror of the 3rd. Miyata circled Ippo - who wasn't quick enough to catch him, but who didn't lose his cool or allow Miyata's jabs to slip past his block. In the end Miyata won the spar 3 rounds to 1. Ippo looked strangely...ecstatic about the outcome. Miyata went out back to run water over his arms.

"Ichirou! This is where you went." Miyata's father emerged from the gym. "That was a pretty good spar, it looked like he was applying quite a bit of pressure on you. UH?!"

His son's arms were covered with bruises. His forearms were already swelling. Miyata looked up from the faucet that he was using to run water over the damaged areas.

"He was using 12 ounce gloves, but I still wound up like this. I think boxing has become much more interesting now father."


	3. A Matter of Centimeters

A Matter of Centimeters

"...and then the bell rang, and the spar was over. I lasted the entire time against Miyata-kun!"

"That's wonderful Ippo." Her son had always been a very shy and polite boy, to see him this excited was very surprising. "What happened next?"

"Well, I introduced myself to the rest of the gym members and Coach told me to come by starting tomorrow. He said he was going to make me into a pro!"

"A professional boxer? You want to fight for a living? Ippo, you're not the kind of person that rough sports like that are made for."

"But! Mom! I can do it! I want to be a boxer! I want to stand up for myself in the ring." For a moment her son reminder her of his father. A look of passion and determination that was so similar to her Kazuo-kun that it was painful to see, yet she couldn't tear her eyes from the sight of that expression on her beloved son's face.

"Well...I suppose you can try it for a bit."

"Yes! ...But I'll be sure to keep on helping out with the fishing boat. I'll be sure to do my part!"

She had to chuckle at that last proclamation. Ippo was the most determined person she'd ever met, and that was more than just her motherly pride. The way he had sheepishly added that last part, as if he thought she might take offense at him living his own life.

"Ippo! Your mother is still young. I could handle the fishing all by myself if need be. If this is what you want to do, then don't let anything stop you."

A look she couldn't quite describe came over her son's face. Were those tears? Did this really mean that much to him?

"Uhm... Mom, can I ask you a strange question?"

"Stranger than 'Can I become a professional boxer?'"

"Yeah. Well, I was just wondering what you thought about..uhm...time travel."

"Time travel?"

"Suppose it was possible for you to go back in time. What would you think about that?"

"So I'd get to go back and see a younger me? I'd probably give her some advice I suppose."

"No, I mean what if you went back and you were there in your old body or younger body...Argh! It's like you have memories of having done everything before."

"So something like Deja-vu?"

"What's that?"

"It's a feeling of repetition, but I think I understand what you mean. In that case, if it was still me living my life I suppose it'd be a fantastic opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"Of course! I'd get to watch you grow up, and see your father again."

"Do you think you'd be able to prevent his death?"

"Is that what this is about Ippo? Your father was a brave man, and prideful. He always did what he thought was right. He would've gone out to rescue Sakuma-san no matter what anyone could've said or done to try and stop him. That was the type of man he was."

"Oh, thanks mom."

* * *

Ippo laid down in his room thinking about the events of the day. Had he traveled back in time? He couldn't imagine how such a thing was even possible. Should he tell anyone? His mother had gotten the wrong idea when he'd asked her, but had provided some useful advice. There was no way he could ask Takamura, Aoki, or Kimura - even if they knew him they'd never believe such a story. No, they were out. Who else could he talk to? Coach Kamogawa? Even his sensei wouldn't be able to help him with this problem. One minute he was catching leaves after his loss to Date, and the next it was the promised day where he was showing his jabs to Takamura.

His mother had said it'd be an opportunity. An opportunity for what? To beat Date? Could the tree have a powerful spirit? One that had sensed his regret and had given him a second chance? A week ago he had said that even if spirits existed, such a feat was impossible. Now after experiencing it first hand he couldn't be sure. Still, if this was a opportunity granted to him by the gods then he had better not waste it. What should he do with this gift? After half an hour of brainstorming he'd written up a simple list of goals.

1. Defeat Date Eiji.  
2. Make sure mom's ok.  
3. Fight Miyata-kun in the Rookie tournament finals.  
4. Ask Kumi-san out.

Ippo smiled as he looked at his list. Beating Date was the reason he was sent back. He would have to train hard and do exactly what the coach told him if he wanted to succeed.

Making sure mom was ok should be simple. She'd only collapsed from exhaustion last time because he'd been a bad son and hadn't been helping out enough. He might be able to get Umezawa-kun to help out like he did before...or will have done before. Thinking of the past/future made his head spin.

He was going to have another spar with Miyata-kun, but he wanted to fight with him in the professional ring! Miyata might not even acknowledge his existence right now, but not getting knocked out in their first spar was a good thing right? It was shameful, but he'd spent that morning looking forward to the spar with Miyata rather than contemplate how he traveled in time. He'd have to make sure to thank Tree-sama properly.

What about Kumi-san? They had finally had a date, even if it was just her trying to cheer him up after his loss. If he didn't lose would she not call him? If he fought Miyata-kun instead of Mashiba-san what would Kumi-san think? Would she be happy that he hadn't fought her brother? Would she be unimpressed if he couldn't beat Mashiba-san? Fighting Miyata-kun would be like a dream, fighting Mashiba-san would be a nightmare. If he broke his hand would it even heal correctly again?

Plagued by thoughts of what could happen in the future, Ippo finally fell asleep.

* * *

The next day after school Ippo stopped by Tree-sama on the way to the gym. He set his backpack down and carefully took out the incense stick he had taken from home. After igniting the incense he placed the stick in the ground at Tree-sama's base. With a quick look around to make sure no one was approaching, Ippo clapped his hands to awaken Tree-sama then bowed to show his respect. He stayed bowed for a few minutes before he heard some voices approaching. Ippo quickly grabbed his pack and ran away before anyone could see what he'd been doing. A short time later Umezama and his two delinquent friends came walking down the road. When they smelled the incense they stopped and looked at the tree that someone had lit it under. With puzzled looks they proceeded on their way.

Ippo sprinted to the Kamogawa gym mortified that anyone might have seen him. Stopping outside he tried to calm his nerves, but he needed to make a good impression. If Kamogawa-sensei didn't accept him then his dreams would die right then and there. Following Coach's instructions was the only reason he had gotten as far as Date-san in the past...future. No time to think about things that would distract him from boxing! It was time for enthusiasm!

"GOOD DAY! THANK YOU FOR TAKING ME IN!"

Ippo was struck with a sudden sense that he had done this before. Deja-vu, that's what his mom called it right? The feeling was only compounded when he saw the coach grabbing at his chest.

*GON*

"You Moron! Think about the Boss' heart! He's old." Takamura's scolding accompanied his punch.

"Ugh.. Sorry!"

"You little punk... Don't just stand there, come down to the basement. We're starting!" Coach Kamogawa's stare was as familiar as it was terrifying.

Just like Ippo remembered happening before, his training started with jumping rope. This time he was going to do it right. This time he was going to do it quickly and he wasn't going to end up tangled in the rope on the gym floor. Less then a minute later, Ippo was extracting himself from the mess he had (once again) gotten himself into with the jumping rope. At least the coach hadn't yelled at him for moving too slowly...

*sigh* "Let's move on to mitt hitting. Learn how to at least jump rope! But do it on your own time!"

"Yes!"

Ippo put on his gloves and got in the ring while the coach scowled at him. Ippo jabbed at the mitt as soon as Kamogawa-sensei raised it.

*BAN*

That sound, that feeling, this was something he had missed.

"A punch that Takamura would notice. You really have a good one. Here, now some one-twos."

*BAN-BAN* *BAN-BAN* *BAN-BAN*

Ippo fell into the rhythm of punching again. His fists didn't feel as smooth as they once did. He would have to train his body to throw punches quicker and without thought. It felt good to be making progress towards his goals.

"Good. Good. With punches like these it'd be possible for you to take down Miyata"

"N-No. Miyata-kun would never be hit by punches this slow. I'm not fast enough yet."

"Heh. Give me five, no three months and I'll have you being able to fight at the same level as Miyata."

"A-another spar with Miyata-kun? I'd love to!" It was the second spar where he'd won which had prompted Miyata-kun to want to fight him in the pro ring. It was a spar he'd haft to win. Ippo noticed that the steady sound of Miyata hitting the speed bag had stopped. Looking over his shoulder he saw the older boy looking their way.

"Ah..Ah..W-what I meant to say..."

"Good. You want to fight him again, but you'll have to learn this first." The Coach brought his right hand up in a punch from the ground, stopping right below Ippo's chin. "The uppercut. Your failure to hit Miyata wasn't because of your punches not being fast enough, it was because they were all straight forward blows. With your stamina, if you were able to attack from all directions: up, down, left and right... Then even an out-boxer like Miyata wouldn't be able to dodge and block them all. If you can get past his defense with even one blow, you can win."

"Yes! With your help I'll win!"

"Well said. Now lean forward, bend both your knees."

"Ok."

"Bring your fist to your gut, palm up! Then rise up and use the momentum to fling your body and your fist up! Now, try it!"

Ippo remembered his first lesson of how to throw an upper-cut. No one could explain things like his coach. Ippo went though the familiar motions, stepping in deep, rising up, and exploding with the punch.

*DAAAAN*

His fist hit the punching mitt squarely and threw the coach off-balance. The sound of the blow reverberated in the small underground area.

"Heh heh heh, A punch from 20 years ago. I can't believe you'd be capable of such a thing. Now go hit the heavy bag."

"Yes!"

After Ippo had gotten started on punching, Kamogawa went outside to the faucet. Taking off the punching mitt from his right hand he cringed away from the stinging sensation that spread across his palm.

"That kid has a good punch. Can I pick them or can I pick them. Ha ha ha ha ha!" There was only one person who could be that arrogant and annoying at the same time.

"Get back to your workout Takamura!" The mitt was a convenient missile to hurl at the boxer's head.

* * *

A week had passed since the brat that Takamura had found had joined the gym. The kid had potential. The more training he was given the more he wanted. Outside of the ring calling him timid would exaggerate his social skills, but if that first spar was anything to go by - his attitude in the ring wouldn't pose any problems. It was also amazing both how quickly he picked up the basic techniques he'd been shown, and how he was perfectly willing to practice them ad nauseam rather than ask to learn a new punch. Takamura had complained constantly about only learning a jab. Thankfully the brat didn't share his senpai's personality. If he had to deal with another pervert-king-delinquent on the same level as Takamura he'd go to his grave 10 years earlier, of that he was certain.

He was pretty sure Ippo was spending every free moment shadow boxing. When you looked at the brat you could practically see the opponent he was imagining he was fighting. Even more impressive it was obvious that his chosen shadow boxer was Miyata. The kid seemed to idolize the out-boxer. The shadow of Miyata that Ippo practiced against was even quicker and more adept at finding counter opportunities than the real Miyata. With a year or so experience he'd expect Miyata to be at the level Ippo was imagining. Having set himself such a high bar was doing wonders for his new rival as well. Miyata had been training extra hard this last week. That sparring session had galvanized them both. The gym hadn't felt this energized since Takamura's debut.

* * *

Nearly a month had passed since Ippo had started training at the gym again. It felt significantly easier this time. Miyata-kun's image was perfectly clear from the moment he started shadow-boxing. If only he could be as fast, cool, and confident as Miyata-kun. That wasn't his style though. The style that Coach had given him was to press forward. Use quick, sharp body blows, and to gradually increase the power of his punches when he had sealed his opponent's legs. Looking back at his fights it was the times that he had deviated from Kamogawa-sensei's advice that he'd had problems.

For the other goals he'd set for himself there had been no progress. Training to be capable of beating Date was taking up all of his free time. His mother had already taken the boat out without him five times. He couldn't let her burden herself, but he couldn't slack off on his training either. He knew where Kumi-san worked currently, but knowing she was there made it impossible for him to enter. With no ideas coming to him no matter how hard he thought, Ippo decided it was time to ask Kamogawa-sensei for advice. At least about training and working at the same time. It just wasn't possible to bring up Kumi-san in a conversation with anyone else.

It was a Saturday afternoon, so he'd gone to the gym after getting out of school at noon. Coach had just declared their mitt session over.

"Uhm... Coach?"

"What?"

"I-I have a problem, a-and I thought you might be able to help me."

"A problem? What is it?"

"Well, my mom has a fishing company, and I always used to help her with taking the boat out. I was wondering if I could somehow combine working on the boat with training. I can't shadow-box 'cause it would upset the customers and scare away the fish. Are there any exercises I could do on a boat...without disturbing anyone else?" He felt silly asking the impossible, but the Coach was a genius. If there was a technique he could use, Kamogawa-sensei would know it.

"Hmmm... What do you do while on the boat? Do you just stand there, or do you drive, or something else?"

"I usually help adjust the sails and rigging, or help the customers with their equipment."

"And that isn't enough of a work out for you anymore. Then just make it more difficult. That job is why you have such great strength and stamina, so it isn't lacking as a training regime. You just need to make it more intense."

"More intense? Like going out on more trips?"

*DON*

"NO! That's not more intense, that's just doing it more often. You should wear leg-weights, or arm-weights, or wear a mask."

"A mask?"

"Yes. A mask will make breathing more difficult. It doesn't look like you're exercising on the boat, but your lungs and your heart are constantly in motion. Stifling your air supply will make both of them work even harder. Don't do it while performing your regular training, but those two things will increase the difficulty of any physical task. It won't be as good as shadow-boxing for improving your muscle-memory, but the results in your stamina and strength should make themselves known."

"That's amazing! I need to buy some leg and arm weights right now."

"Hold it. As long as your going to a sporting goods store get yourself some new boots also. The soles on your shoes are almost worn completely out."

"Yes Sir!"

Ippo was two blocks away from the gym when he realized that he didn't know what kind of weights to buy. How heavy should the be? He should've asked Coach. The gym was still close, it wouldn't take too long for him to go back. As he turned around he saw Miyata-kun coming down the street in his direction.

* * *

Miyata exited the gym intent on buying some new bandages for his hands. The old ones were looking threadbare and soon wouldn't cushion his knuckles like they should. Up ahead he saw Makunochi approaching. This might be a good time to get some answers.

"Miyata-kun!" Ippo waved at his rival.

"Makunochi"

"Could I ask where Miyata-kun was heading to?"

*sigh* "We're rivals. Shouldn't you be a bit less friendly with me?" Ippo's look of utter dejection that followed those words was enough to make Miyata re-consider them. "Fine. It's not like it's a secret or anything. I'm just heading down to the sporting goods store to get some new wraps."

"Oh! I was going to go there myself, but I needed to ask Coach what equipment I should get."

"Hn?"

"Well, he said to get some leg and arm weights, but I don't know how heavy of weights I should get."

"When you do weight training you always start with the smallest weight possible and gradually increase. That way if you go over you won't hurt yourself too badly. So start at 5kg and increase it from there. Wait at least a week in-between increments since it's not always obvious when you've pushed yourself too hard."

"Wow! Miyata-kun is so smart!"

"That's just common sense. If you'd done any weight training before you'd have known that. I've been meaning to ask you about that actually."

"Huh? You want to ask ME something? I know! Let's get some juice and drink while we talk!"

"Fine." Makunochi was difficult to figure out. Outside the gym he was very shy and friendly, a far cry from the deliquent that people would assume hung out with Takamura. Ippo handed him a grape juice can. "Thanks. So where did you start boxing?"

"At the gym. You were there." Ippo looked flustered and confused.

"The way you handled yourself in the ring wasn't like any new-comer I've ever seen. You were better than most rookies. I thought you just had fighting experience like Takamura or some of the other boxers, but you don't seem like the type."

"I.I..never boxed before I went to the Kamogawa Gym. I ran into Takamura a week before our first spar. He showed me his jab, how to throw a straight, and loaned me some tapes."

Ippo was fidgeting extensively now. There was no way he could ever been a bully. An obvious target though. "So you got into fights, but you were always the attacked?"

"No. Well, I mean, I kinda got picked on before, but I've never gotten into a fight outside the ring!" With those words Makunochi glared at him, as if daring Miyata to question the veracity of his statement.

"Then how are you in such good shape? If you don't know anything about lifting weights, or jump-roping, or running, or any other training regime, how are you so strong?"

"Uhm...well, I help my mom with the fishing boat. I usually carry the ice packs, and working on the boat itself is a pretty tough job. My dad died while I was a little kid, so I've had to do all the tasks that involve brute strength, while my mom does the parts that need skill." Ippo chuckled at his self-depreciating comment, while he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.

"So your dad died when you were a kid huh? The same thing happened to my mom."

"Your dad is your corner-man right? I've heard he was an ex-boxer."

"Yeah, my goal is to prove that my father's boxing style is the best. So I definitely won't lose to...what the?"

"What is it?" Ippo followed Miyata's gaze. They had covered a lot of ground, and were now in front of Tree-sama. Hammered into the dirt there was a sign that read "No Burning Incense on the Grass".

* * *

Coach had explained that their strategy for fighting Miyata-kun was to wait for him to tire out. The more Ippo thought about it, the less he liked it. He didn't want to question Coach, but that wasn't how he'd won the first time. If he remembered correctly, it was after he had told Kamogawa-sensei that he wanted to fight Miyata-kun head-on that they had changed their strategy. Questioning Coach was scary, and he had complete faith in his training, but fighting Miyata-kun man to man was what he really wanted.

"U-Uhm... Coach? About this strategy, it's kinda weak. Don't you think? I want to go out and fight."

"What? You punk! Are you saying you want to be hit with his counter?"

"I don't want to get hit by it, but I don't want to run from it either. I want to take Miyata-kun head on!"

"Arrogant Brat! Fine. If that's what you want, I'll drag you around until you can't take anymore. Crying won't get you out of it! You'll be running until either I'm satisfied or you're in the grave!"

"Yes Coach!"

Ippo ran after Kamogawa-sensei's scooter. For an hour the Coach had him running. They paused only for Ippo to run in zig-zags on the side of the road. After every pause Ippo would have to sprint to catch back up. When they had completed their circle and made it back to the gym, Ippo collapsed in the bathroom. He had barely finished heaving into the sink when Kamogawa-sensei dragged him back onto the road. Their second trip had taken almost twice as long. Ippo knew better than to complain, Coach knew exactly what he was doing. After re-hydrating himself, Ippo sat on the floor in the corner of the basement.

"If you allow Miyata to out-box you then you've lost before the match starts. I'm not giving you good footwork, I'm giving you a fast step-in. Only by dashing forward quickly can you close the distance between the two of you and get into close range where he won't be able to dodge."

*pant* *pant* "So.." *pant* "I'm going to rush in through his counter?" Even though the Coach was explaining things that Ippo had already been taught, his elderly trainer was full of knowledge. In a way getting a 'refresher' course on the basics was remarkably enlightening.

"Exactly! You dash in and change the hit point! If his arm doesn't extend all the way his punch won't be a full-strength. Stop the momentum before it reaches you. The power will be halved, and then you'll be at your range. To beat Miyata you'll need resilience and dash power. Now we're going to practice your resilience!"

"Yes!" This basic lesson. How could he have forgotten it so many times? It wouldn't be useful against either Sendou or Volg who were in-boxers like him. Okita, Saeki, and Hayami would all be perfect opponents to remember it for. Especially Okita, the strategy for him had been to rush in - taking a few hits in exchange for closing the gap between them. His corkscrew punch had made such a trade-off not work. Leaning into the corkscrew might even cause the punch to land before the twisting motion that it's power derived from finished. Then it would just be a regular punch. If Kamogawa-sensei had known about Okita's corkscrew before the match their strategy would have undoubtedly included changing the hit point.

The resilience training included head-stands - both straight up and with his head tilted - and arching backwards. He would form an upside-down 'U' on the ground, with his stomach facing the ceiling. Kamogawa-sensei would sit on his chest. His teacher didn't weight much, but supporting that weight in that position was tough. Gradually they increased the time he spent in the positions from 3 to 5 minutes. Every day he would run for hours, do resilience training for half an hour (though it felt like much, much longer), and practice mitt-hitting for another 2 hours. Ippo was glad that he was still in high-school. Classes were the only time apart from sleeping that he wasn't physically exerting himself.

* * *

"My Punch Is Dynamite!"

No.

"Bun. Bun. Bun."

No!

"Knockout For Anyone!"

NO!

That song. He'd forgotten it, but Takamura's personal fight song coming from the hallway to the showers. It was about to happen! He should have made certain not to shower at the same time as Takamura. Now the pervert-king was going to harass him, and then he was going to pull down his towel in front of everyone! He had to get out. Out of the showers before Takamura came through the doorway. Ippo sprinted.

"Hey Ippo! You shouldn't run on the wet floor. You might"

*CRASH!*

"Whoa everyone. Looks like Ippo's a heavyweight! Showing it off for us like that! You arrogant punk!"

Ippo cried silent tears as he lay on the floor, exposed to his gym-mates while Takamura laughed at him. Perhaps if he asked really nicely Tree-sama would let him redo today also.

* * *

Two months had passed and the brat had made tremendous progress. It was really surprising how he had taken to the training. He hadn't complained a single time, even when it was obvious he was on his last legs. Something seemed to drive him forward. Takamura did have a good talent for brining in skilled fighters. Aoki and Kimura weren't championship level yet, but the potential was there. The kid's talent blew them all away. Every lesson he picked up on the first time. He was a natural genius like Miyata, the two would make perfect rivals.

In the basement ring the two boxers squared off. Takamura was going to officiate. He was even wearing a white button down shirt and a bow tie. Where had he gotten that get up? In the corner there were some reporters that were there to get a story on Miyata since he was about to turn pro. They couldn't of picked a more opportune time, the match was going to be interesting. Kamogawa was glad the kid had demanded to face Miyata's counter head on. That was the way of the samurai, it was the way of a boxer. It also gave him a better chance at winning, but he couldn't ask a beginner to take that kind of risk on his own.

"The rules are the same as before: 4 rounds, 3 knockdowns, no headgear, 8 once gloves." Takamura was really into playing ref. "Both of you fight like it's a real match."

Ippo made his way back to the corner. He looked ready for the fight, but it was the corner-man's duty to provide him support.

"You can do it kid! Show him the results of these last 3 months!"

"Yes!"

He was completely relaxed. The kid was a natural.

"All right! Seconds out!"

*tick* *tick* *tick* *GON!*

The bell rang and the fight was underway. Ippo dashed toward his opponent. Left jab followed left jab, but Miyata weaved and back-peddled avoiding every punch. Makunochi didn't relent. Every time Miyata changed directions, Ippo moved with him. It was as if he knew exactly where Miyata was planning on retreating to before the out-boxer did.

Soon Miyata was caught in Ippo's reach. Miyata's guard was basic, both hands in front of his face. It would protect him from jabs, but the short upper he had drilled into the kid would tear it apart. Ippo started the movement for that exact blow, but as soon as he did Miyata threw a right cross. Miyata's speed was greater; his punch would land first - a clean counter. Ippo suddenly stopped his punch and ducked! The surprised look on Miyata's face as his hook flew over Ippo's head was quickly obscured from view by Ippo's gloves. A left jab, then a right straight, and Miyata was down. Kamogawa could attest to the power behind those punches, but it was still surprising that Miyata had been knocked down with only two.

"DOWN! Neutral Corner!" Takamura quickly stepped in. Thankfully he wasn't as surprised as everyone else in the basement.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!

"N..."

"Uhg.." Miyata had thrown off the surprise that had stunned him and everyone else in the audience. "I'm all right. I can continue." He took his fighting stance.

"Ichirou! Damage?" His father asked.

"I'm fine. I just just took a one-two to the face and loss my balance."

"Fight!"

Ippo advanced on Miyata. Another left was followed by a right straight, but this time Miyata was ready for it. He ducked under Ippo's right and delivered a straight right of his own. A counter. His fist stopped when it connected with Ippo's face, rather than following through his punch was completely absorbed. The kid had leaned into it. Once again Miyata's surprised face was hit with Ippo's gloved fist. The sound was impressive, but not as impressive as the sight of Miyata actually bouncing off the canvas by the strength of the punch.

"DOWN! Neutal Corner!"

"Gah!" Ippo might have withstood Miyata's best punch, but it still looked like it had hurt him.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!" Miyata had managed to pull himself to his feet and resumed his fighting stance.

"Can you go on?" Miyata nodded in response.

"Go for it!" He couldn't help but cheer for the brat. Victory over Miyata was only one punch away. "Now's the time for the long upper! One more down an you win!"

"Fight!"

Ippo charged toward Miyata again. A left jab was blocked, and a right straight was dodged. Miyata had been sliding to his left before the straight, but his dodge stopped his movement. The kid was preventing him from getting distance! With his escape blocked, the out-boxer threw another right hook. Ippo ducked underneath it, and began the motion for a right long upper. Suddenly he stopped, shifted his weight and began to push off with his left leg instead. He was throwing a long upper with his left? It was then that the coach saw that Miyata's left had begun to raise up. Was he going to counter? Did the kid see it?

All these thoughts were soon swept away by the sight of Miyata's right hand coming down from above. He had switched up his counter in response to Ippo's change! Now it was with his dominate hand too! The combined force of Ippo's upward's movement and Miyata's downward punch was more than sufficient to knock Ippo off his feet.

"One!"

"Two!" This wasn't a counter that had half of it's power stripped away. This one had the full strength of both boxers behind it.

"Three!"

"Four!" Countering the long upper. To think that such a thing was possible. The kid was tough, but could he stand after a hit like that?

"Five!"

"Six!" Ippo had grabbed the ropes and was pulling himself up, when his strength gave out and he tumbled back to the mat.

"Seven!"

"Eight!" His feet were under his body again. He was still conscious, still trying to stand.

"Nine!"

"HAAA!" With a final push Ippo regained his feet, and put his hands up in his fighting pose.

"Can you continue." Takamura only got a nod in reply.

Miyata's surprise was plain to see. He knew the strength of that punch better than anyone - aside from Ippo. Neither boxer seemed to be in any shape to press the attack however. Miyata looked like he was having trouble standing, and Ippo looked worse. Then Ippo took a step towards Miyata. Then another. Then another. He was moving slowly - only one step every two seconds or so, but he was still pressing forward! What spirit! The kid was something else! A forth step, then a fifth. Two more steps and they'd be within each other's reach again. Could either of them throw a live punch right now?

*GON*GON*GON*

The bell rang and round one was finished.

* * *

Ippo sat in the corner while Kamogawa-sensei gave him water and words of encouragement. It was going almost exactly like it had the first time. Throwing a left instead of a right long upper seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it seemed foolish. If Miyata-kun could counter a right long upper, he could easily counter a left. The truth was that any punch he threw Miyata-kun would counter. Now what?

"All right! Seconds Out! Round 2. Begin!"

Ippo rushed forward. Miyata-kun would try to clinch him this round and recover his stamina. The first time a standing upper had nicked Miyata's chin, but could he manage to hit so precisely on purpose? He had to finish things this round, before Miyata-kun got his legs back. A left jab, another jab, then Miyata's arms were around him preventing him from getting the rotation required for a punch. It was happening again. Miyata-kun was a few centimeters away, but there was no way for him to reach.

"Break it up!"

Takamura broke the clinch, but Miyata immediately re-established it. The two boxers were at a stale-mate, but with Miyata recovering strength with each passing second.

*DOF!*

Miyata shuddered.

*DOF!*

Miyata staggered back, hunched over grasping his stomach. 10 centimeters. That was all Ippo needed. It was the punch they had practiced for Date. Even without training, the principles were the same. Pull back, tense up, and release! With the clinch broken there was room to step forward with his left foot. The right straight that followed knocked Miyata-kun down. Takamura ran over to check on him, then he waved his hands.

"Knock-out! Makunochi is the winner!"


	4. Debut

Debut

Ippo woke up the next morning. Sparring with Miyata-kun had been as exciting as he'd hoped. Even though he knew what was going to have happened, Miyata-kun had still managed to counter him. Kamogawa-sensei had given him a long speech about how he needed to work on his basics, so they had done some more mitt-hitting before he left. At home he had given his mother the play-by-play account of the spar. It was so exciting that he hadn't been able to fall asleep for 2 hours.

Today was a Sunday, so he didn't have to worry about school. Instead he needed to get up earlier than his mom and start the preparations for today's first customers. Setting out the bait and ice chests that they needed usually took some time, but Ippo finished quickly. He still had his morning road work to do on his way to the gym. It was at the half-way mark that Ippo began to feel more tired than usual. He'd forgotten to take off the wrist and ankle weights he'd put on as part of his fishing routine. The weights were now at 5kg, the most that they could hold. He'd take them off at the gym. After three months, the extra weight was hardly noticeable when working on the boat.

When he reached the gym, Ippo made a beeline towards Miyata's locker. Just as he thought, Miyata-kun's equipment was gone. Good, he'd impressed the older boy enough that he wanted to fight in the pro ring. Or rather, that was the most likely case. Still, going to Miyata-kun's house to ask and to make the promise to meet in the pro ring was the next thing to do. Without the initial panic of the older boy's departure driving him, the thought of being so forward as to go to his house made Ippo a nervous wreck.

* * *

"Ichirou, are you sure you want to do this? The Kamogawa Gym is a pretty good location."

"If we stay there, I'd never get to fight Makunochi in the professional ring. Beating... no, surpassing someone with as much natural talent as him with my boxing style - that is my goal."

It'd be best if he went and told Makunochi in person. It was a challenge of sorts and it wouldn't do to have it go un-noticed. Miyata finished dressing in his sweats. He might as well do his road work on the way to the gym. Until they got settled down in another location, he'd have to mainly rely on running and shadow boxing for his exercise. He now had a perfect shadow to use too. One that could take a counter - one that he'd have to dart out of range of even if his punch was clean.

A few blocks from his house he saw Makunochi walking his way.

"Ah! Miyata-kun! I was looking for you!" Ippo waved to catch his attention.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I..I..I was wondering why Miyata-kun left the gym." It was hard to believe that the timid boy in front of him, and the boxer who'd beaten him yesterday were one and the same.

"Members of the same gym can't fight in the pro-ring. Right now we stand at one-win, one-loss."

"Miyata-kun..."

"Make sure you enter the Western Japan Rookie Champion Tournament! I'll see you in the final!" That was all that was needed to be said. Hopefully his rival wouldn't disappoint him. The thrill of their fight was the most alive he'd felt in a long time.

* * *

"I'm going to have the brat follow you for a week."

"Eh? I have a match in a week, I can't babysit him now. Besides, wasn't it you who said I was a boxer and you were a trainer."

*DON!* Coach Kamogawa's cane came down on Takamura's head.

"That's right I'm the trainer! So don't talk back! Don't change your schedule, I just want to see if Ippo can keep up with your pre-fight menu."

"So this is another test or something?"

"You could say that."

Takamura shrugged. The old man usually knew what he was doing. There wasn't time to think about it anyways. He was still 2 lbs overweight with only a week to go before the weigh-in. Sweating out that much water when you were already dehydrated wasn't easy for most people, but he'd be able to do it in 2 days if he wanted. Spreading it out over a week was much better though. First up was a long run in heavy clothes, that was always the easiest way to continually sweat for an hour or two. With as little water as he had left, he'd have to keep at it for a longer time to get any results.

"TAKAMURA-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" That sounded like Ippo behind him. Takamura stopped and did some shadow-boxing while his kohai caught up to him.

"Right, the boss told me... We're together for a week eh. You think you can keep up?"

"W..W..Well, I'll give it my best! Besides, it's fun with Takamura-san. If I can't keep up please go ahead without me!"

That's what I was planning on. We'll see if you think it's enjoyable after we're done. "Allright! Let's go have fun!" Time to dash.

"Your match is in one week? I'm looking forward to watching Takamura-san fight!"

"I'll give you a good show!"

"Who's your opponent?"

"Someone weaker than me, but that applies to everyone else in the world too!"

"..."

"..."

That was a long enough sprint. Ippo was following closely at first, but his speed gave out after a minute. Takamura busied himself with shadow-boxing while waiting for his kohai to catch up. Then it was time to sprint again.

"I have a perfect K.O. record you know. No one can survive even one round against my punch. Gah ha ha ha. Right?"

Ippo didn't have enough breath to speak now it looked like. It wouldn't be so bad to go back a little early. Takamura sprinted and shadow-boxed for about an hour longer before heading back to the gym. Next was the heavy bag, it'd let him continue to sweat and give Ippo a break. Not that holding the bag while he punched it didn't qualify as a work out. Gah ha ha ha.

Jump roping. Running. Shadow-boxing. Ippo did a good job of keeping up with him, but he wasn't very talkative.

"What happened? You still out of breath? Why'd you stop talking?"

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about how I forgot how awesome Takamura-san was. Your practice schedule is amazing."

"Is it too much for you?"

"No! I need to train harder if I'm going to fight Miyata-kun in the Rookie Champion Tournament's final match!"

"Don't under-estimate the pro's ring. The odd's of you two both making it to the finals is small!"

"Y-Yes."

The wind seemed to be taken out of Ippo's sails with that last comment. Did he not think he could make it all the way? Oh well, it wasn't his problem after all. There was still 2 hours of daylight left and he was going to make the most of them. To his credit, the kid managed to keep up.

"Great job today! Let's go then." Ippo still looked like something was on his mind. "What's with that face? Oh, what I said about the finals? Sorry for being so harsh. Running on an empty stomach is hard you know? So, you wanna come over to my house?"

"What? Oh, that'd be great Takamura-san!"

The two of them walked to his apartment, which thankfully was close by. When they got to the entrance, Ippo just stood looking inside.

"Don't be timid. Come on in. I'm going to the bathroom, so make yourself at home."

At the toilet, nothing came out. Thinking about waterfalls, or rivers, or gushing geysers didn't do anything. Despite having the feeling like he needed to go, there just wasn't any liquid inside of him. In a few minutes he'd try again. Might as well call Ippo's mom so she won't worry in the meantime. After a short phone call, and more staring at the toilet Takamura gave up.

"Tch. I guess there's just no more water left in my body. Huh?"

While he had been busy, Ippo had cleaned up his bedroom. His kohai was now sitting with his arms crossed and his back to the stack of adult magazines he had made.

"So you're not interested in that sort of stuff huh? I know, you only have eyes for 'Miyata-kun'. Gah ha ha ha ha!"

"W-What? N-No! If I had looked you would've called Aoki or something and embarassed me!" A beet red Ippo was protesting loudly. It was so easy to press his kohai's buttons, and it was so hilarious to watch the results. He really should call Aoki up, that sounded like a good joke.

"Hello? Hey Aoki, you'll never guess what Ippo did." Ippo's frantic struggle resulted in him hanging up on the other boxer before going into detail.

* * *

"Hey Takamura-san, you have your own reasons for boxing right? I've worked hard up till now, but I'm nowhere near your level of commitment I think." Ippo remembered Takamura telling him about his first proffesional fight, and the applause and acknowledgment that came after. Was that what drove his senpai?

"Eh? Well, your right about that. Boxing is the first thing in my life that was worth anything. I'm going to rise to the top of the world with just these two fists. You don't train for what rank you are, you train for what rank you want. Since I'm going to conquer the world I have to train at that level. Get it?"

"Y-Yeah! So that's why Takamura-san's training is so tough! So if I want to beat the champ, I have to train at the level that's the highest in Japan!"

"What? Beat the champ? I like the attitude, but somehow looking at your face while you say stuff like that pisses me off. You haven't even become a pro yet! I'll tell you again: Don't underestimate the professional ring!" Takamura had grabbed him in a headlock and was grinding his knuckles into his head.

"Ow! Ow! I didn't mean to not be respectful! I just though that if Takamura-san was so strong because of his goals, then I should have goals that will make me strong too!"

"Hmph." Takamura released Ippo from his punishment. "You're taking the wrong thing away from what I said. I guess I need to explain things better. Training comes from having a goal right? But what does having a goal come from? You're core reason has to be strong or the goal is just so much smoke in the wind!"

"U-uhm... What's Takamura-san's reason for his goal? To prove to everyone that you're the best?"

*nod* "That's part of it, but not all. I also have to prove something to that old man, and I have to show something to the world."

"Oh, I see. So I'd need a reason that's as big as my goal." Ippo sat in silence and thought for a while. Not letting Tree-sama's gift go to waste was a pretty good reason, but it didn't seem like enough. After all, Tree-sama probably didn't send him to the past for his gratitude. He loved boxing, but he knew that wasn't enough to challenge Date with. Ippo's contemplation was cut short when Takamura handed him some instant ramen.

"Here, eat this. I called your mom already, so you can spend the night here."

"Okaaaaaaay!"

* * *

Ippo walked down the street. His pro test was only a week away. He tried to feel confident, but even with all his training - the idea of taking the test again was making him a nervous wreak. It had all started after Takamura-san's match. The fight was amazing, watching his senpai box was indescribable - just so long as he was serious. After the fight Mashiba-san and Miyata-kun had encountered each other for the first time. Mashiba-san was so frightening. Even knowing what he did now about Kumi-san's brother didn't help. In fact it only made things worse. Mashiba-san was beyond determined. He had boxed with a broken elbow - a feat that Ippo felt overshadowed his boxing with a broken hand by a wide margin.

Mashiba-san would be at the pro test. There was a chance that they'd spar. Ippo felt that he was making good progress, but it didn't seem to him that he was in as good of shape as he had been when the two of them had initially fought. At least not yet. If he did wind up squaring off against Mashiba-san what would the result be? He might not even pass. He hadn't done any training to avoid the flicker. Even if he knew in his mind what he should do to over-come Mashiba-san's reach, if his body wasn't used to the movement it wouldn't matter.

Ippo let out a long sigh. There was one thing he could think of that might calm him down. It was time to meet Kumi-san. It had taken him a long time to work up the courage, but he had to do it before he potentially crossed paths with her older brother. With that goal in mind, he made his way to the bread shop that she worked at.

*Sakura Electronics has moved to the 3rd floor. Coming soon Yamanaka Bakery!*

Ippo stared at the sign in front of the store, not comprehending what it meant for a long time. The memory that the bakery opened soon after his match with Jason Ozuma struck him like lightening. How could he have forgotten that part! After finally working up the courage to come here, nothing had happened! Short of risking death by trying to run into her around her house, there was no way to meet her now. A dejected Ippo trudged back down the street.

* * *

All the weaklings had come out of the woodwork. There wasn't a half decent fighter among the lot of them. Mashiba Ryou stood nearly a head taller than most of the wannabes around him. The paper test hadn't been very hard, but the spars were shaping up to be even easier.

"Next! Eleventh and Twelfth!" The referee called out his number after the last pathetic excuse for a spar had ended.

His opponent looked like another wimp who had never had to struggle in his entire life. How could someone like him hope to win against someone who had been fighting the entire world for 14 years? Ridiculous. Ryou assumed his hit-man stance, and as expected the rookie across the ring from him just looked surprised. It would've been better if his opponent had a little experience - enough to recognize the style and assume he didn't know what he was doing. Wiping the smug look off of trash like that was one of the most enjoyable aspects of boxing.

*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop* Over and over he jabbed his "opponent". There was no way he'd be able to avoid his flicker jab. It was a difficult punch to learn, and so hardly anyone had any experience with it. Mashiba easily slipped past his sparing partner's attempts at blocking. A left uppercut. A right straight. The referee was shouting something, probably trying to end the match before he was done. Fine. He'd end the match with his Sunday-punch.

*GURASH!* The chopping right landed perfectly. His opponent lay unconscious and bleeding on the floor. Now the fight was over. What a quick and crappy ending.

Mashiba came back to the ring-area after taking a quick shower and changing back into his street clothes. Nothing to do now but watch the rest of losers try and box with each other. Waiting around for them to finish was going to be boring.

*spat* A white and red blur came flying out of the ring at him. He dodged to the right and easily avoided what looked like a mouth-guard. In the ring a small boxer had literally sent his taller opponent flying head over heals. That must have taken a lot of raw power. Interesting.

"You were with Miyata that time before right?" It looked like that little wall-flower he'd seen after the Takamura fight, when he'd encountered that arrogant pretty boy.

"Ah! Mashiba-san!"

"And you're also a feather-weight, just like him. That punch is bad luck for me, but if I'm here you'll never be champ. Why don't you change to a higher class and save yourself some pain? Kukukukukuku." There was no-way a spoiled brat could ever beat him, but someone with that much raw power could be a problem later on.

"Huh? B-but you're the one who's going to go to another weight class! If I changed I'd just have to..urk!" The kid abruptly covered his mouth with his hands. Since he was still wearing his mitts, he inadvertantly punched himself in the face.

"What?!" Mashiba glared down at the little punk who had insinuated that he'd be the one to run away! Unacceptable! Before the situation could devolve into something worse for the brat, Ippo quickly did a deep bow and scurried away to the locker room.

* * *

Ippo was in a good mood. It was Wednesday - the slowest day for their fishing business. No regular customers, and no one else had scheduled a trip for today either. For Ippo that meant one thing, he could go to the gym immediately after class. Sunday was his favorite day - since he didn't have class he'd get to train all day long - in one way or another. Wednesday was his second favorite because of days like this where he'd get to train for several hours on end. With a smile on his face he jogged through the gates of his school. Suddenly a hand grabbed the back of his uniform, jerking him to a stop.

"It's been a while Ippo." Umezawa with his two fellow delinquents looked down on Ippo. "We missed hanging out with you. Lately you've been disappearing right after class lets out." Umezawa had let go of Ippo's collar, but was now twisting his knuckles on top of Ippo's head.

"Play with us sometimes." Ippo was kicked in the side by another of the boys, but it wasn't very hard.

"We know you've been going to a boxing gym." Umezawa had stopped his noogie, and rested his hand on Ippo's left shoulder. The three delinquents smiled for a few seconds. Ippo got a very strong feeling of deja-vu...that the bullies really weren't in a good mood. "You bastard! You're trying to get revenge on us aren't you!" "You think you can take us?!" The calm atmosphere was shattered as Umezawa and his cohorts glared menacingly at Ippo.

"W-what? No, that's not..." Ippo began to try and explain things to the taller boys before they did something to him, but it was too late.

"Shut the hell up!" Ippo's book bag was knocked from his hands. His school supplies spilled out onto the ground.

"Eh? What's this?" Umezawa looked down at the mess on the ground. Ippo's class-C boxing license was in plain sight, and the older boy bent over and picked it up. "A driver's license...What?! A pro-boxer license?! You have to be kidding, as if someone like you could be a professional boxer. What a joke. They'll give these out to anyone I guess."

"Please give it back!" Ippo tried to grab the license from Umezawa's hand, but he quickly back-peddled and the other two boys moved between them.

"Wait a second." They said simultaneously.

"How 'bout we test to see just what kind of boxer he is?" "Yeah." The two boys in front smirked at each other, nodded, and then turn and threw punches at Ippo.

Ippo knew what was coming, but even if he didn't - their punches were 10 times slower than Miyata-kun's. "Please give it back!" Drawing himself into his peak-a-boo stance, Ippo effortlessly weaved between the two bullies before stopping in front of Umezawa. The look on his friend's face was one of surprise, but Ippo didn't give him time to react. His jab was crisp and precise. Just like when he practiced catching leaves, Ippo relaxed his fist. Grabbing his boxing license from Umezawa's hand, and his bag from the ground - Ippo sprinted away from school.

"I'm not boxing for something stupid like revenge. I became a professional boxer because I have a goal I can't fail at, and because I love it!" Ippo shouted behind him. He continued to sprint down the street until he was sure he wasn't being chased. Grinning he looked down at the two things in his hands: his pro-boxing license that signified the first step in his goal of defeating Date, and the button of one of his classmates. Ippo immediately dropped the button. He hadn't meant to grab it, but the image of Takamura weaving through the bullies had just entered his mind. Ippo just had to test to see if he was closer to his senpai. One button was all he managed, but it felt good.

* * *

"The third day of the next month is your pro debut! The opponent's name is..." Coach was about to tell him who his first opponent was. Ippo held his breath. Would it be the same as before, or would he be fighting someone else. So far things had happened as he remembered them, but he couldn't shake the idea that perhaps things would go differently this time around. "...Nishigawa Gym's Oda Yuusuke."

"Who's that?" Takamura asked.

"He's an infighter with a strong right, good stamina, and a real aggressive attitude. Uhm...right now he'd have...3 K.O.s, 3 wins and 2 losses." Ippo admired all of his past opponents, so remembering the statistics of his first one wasn't hard. Compared to boxers like Sendou or Volg, Oda wasn't that strong, but Ippo didn't think he was very strong yet either.

"Wow, that's exactly right Ippo." Yagi looked up from the statistics he had gotten on Oda Yuusuke from the boxing commission.

*DON*

Takamura pressed down on the top Ippo's head with the fist he'd just punched Ippo with. "How do you know so much about a no-name like him? You stalking other people aside from Miyata nowadays?"

Kimura spoke up. "I remember Oda from around the time of my debut. He was a junior lightweight, but I guess he's gone down a class. It's true that he was known for his hard punch, but are you sure about the stamina part Ippo. I remember him not being strong in that category."

"Well, I don't know for certain. But that's the impression I got with my fi...watching of his fights." Ippo clearly remembered that he had gone into the fight expecting an opponent who wouldn't throw many punches. It was a surprise with how much stamina his opponent had actually had. No way was Ippo going to under-estimate Oda again. He'd been attacked constantly for nearly 4 rounds.

"In any case if you respect your opponent's stamina so much, we're just going to make yours better than his. Right kid?"

"Yes!"

"Good, lets practice your ability to take hits then."

"OK!"

Ippo resumed his training with Kamogawa-sensei. His coach was using a medicine ball attached to a long stick. Over and over he would swing with all his strength at Ippo's stomach. When they had first done this exercise, it took a lot of pain on Ippo's part before he realized how to clench his muscles, breath at the right time, and what kind of stance to use. Knowing all of that beforehand helped, but learning to endure the hits was something his body would have to be trained at again. Ippo also spared a lot with his senpais: Aoki and Kimura. The two of them were always good for a sparring session, but they always bowed out before Ippo ran out of energy.

* * *

Reiko had been convinced by her two friends to try out a ramen place to the south. She was preoccupied with thoughts of her boyfriend Yuusuke. Her father was becoming increasingly more vocal about his lack of training. Did Yuusuke really slack off? She thought he was incredibly strong, but he had lost two fights. What if she was distracting him from his training? She didn't want to stop spending time with him, but perhaps it would be for the best.

"Before your first match, and you're practicing that much. You're going to burn out man." Three young boys had entered the cafe and were talking loudly. Or at least Reiko assumed they were young, the small one in the middle still had to be in high school.

"Ahhhh...My body's getting stronger. I think I can handle it."

"To celebrate Ippo's debut, let's have some service!" The three of them sat down at the counter, across from the both that Reiko was sitting at with her friends.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Oda Yuusuke is famous for his attitude." What? They were talking about her Yuusuke?

"You're wrong! He's really determined. I know you say he lacks stamina, but I'm telling you that's not the case!" The short one was arguing with his two companions about Yuusuke? And he was defending him? Did Yuusuke really have that many fans?

"You'd better watch what you say about Yuusuke-chan around Ippo, Kimura. You wouldn't want him to get all hot and bothered by talking bad about his faaaaavorite boxer! Gah ha ha ha!" The tall one with the pompadour had chimed in. Was Yuusuke the small one's favorite boxer? The kids had started talking about other things, and she couldn't just go up to them and ask. It probably was just her worrying too much, just like Yuusuke said. To think that she was going to have given Yuusuke-kun the cold shoulder to motivate him! What good luck that she happened to encounter some of his fans. Smiling, Reiko turned her attention back to her friends and finished her food. It really was a good restaurant.

* * *

Ippo's match was about to begin. He was shadow-boxing to warm up. At the weigh in that morning Oda Yuusuke had behaved differently. Ippo had expected him to be intense and angry. Instead, his opponent had been arrogant and friendly. The change from what he expected bothered Ippo. What could've happened that would 've resulted in such a change.

"Don't be so nervous, you should be grateful you got such a weak opponent." Aoki and Kimura were trying to cheer him up, but they didn't know that Oda-san was going to come out constantly swinging. Ippo would have trouble getting his rhythm under such an onslaught. If he wanted to win he'd have to take the pace immediately. Last time the ref was going to stop the fight because of a cut he'd received. Only a last minute K.O. had saved him. Ippo had to avoid the cut at all costs he'd decided.

"Let's go kid." Coach Kamogawa motioned to the door. It was time for his debut.

Ippo walked down the aisle. He felt every bit as nervous as he did the first time he'd done this. His heart was racing, his palms were sweating underneath his wraps. Kamogawa-sensei had trained him though. His coach knew exactly what to do. Ippo was sure that if he followed his sensei's instructions he'd be fine. In the ring Ippo immediately began bowing to the crowd from the center. It wasn't until Kamogawa-sensei yelled at him that he stopped and returned to his corner. Soon the bell would ring, and Oda-san would rush him. Ippo had to get the first punch. It all rode on that, to get the momentum before his oppon...

*DING*

The bell! Ippo turned, crouching low. He expected to see Oda-san rushing towards him, but the other boxer was still in his corner. Ippo rushed forward, and got to the other boxer before he'd moved. Oda looked surprised and threw a left jab followed by a right, but Ippo weaved around the punches and got into his range. A short, quick, compact right body blow followed by a left. His punches connected cleanly, and surprisingly Oda-san dropped his guard. Ippo hadn't expected to get in so early in the match, but he didn't hesitate to capitalize on his situation. A one-two, followed by another. All his punches connected with his opponent's face. Oda tried to come back with a right hook, but Ippo ducked underneath it. Then he raised his left hand from his waist, pushed up with his left leg, and punched upwards. The long upper connected cleanly with Oda's chin, and he was lifted off his feet. Somehow Oda hadn't fallen down. Ippo wound up for a right straight before Oda could recover, but suddenly the referee was between them.

Ippo stepped back. What was happening? Oda-san was still standing in he corner. Then Ippo noticed that he wasn't standing, rather his arms were entangled in the top rope. The ref went over to check on Oda, but quickly motioned towards the ring-side announcer.

"Winner! Macunochi!"

Oda Yuusuke was unconscious. Ippo had won. The applause from the audience fell on him like rain. Ippo couldn't believe it. Everything had gone so fast, and now he was experiencing the adoration of the entire crowd. He quickly began to bow to them.

K.O. Time 47 seconds

Kourakuen Hall

Macunochi Ippo Victory

1-0-0 1 K.O.


	5. Rookie King Tournament - Part 1

Rookie King Tournament - Part 1

Ippo walked to school. Everyone had wanted to go out and celebrate his professional debut victory last night. The first time this had happened, it had ended with Takamura pulling his pants down in front of everyone. Ippo had internally debated declining the invitation for a long time, but in the end he hadn't been able to say no to Yagi-san. The desire to spend time with all his friends was just too strong. So Ippo had agreed to go, but had taken precautions: after the match he made sure to wear a belt that was tightly secured above his hips. The belt had snapped when the celebration had abruptly ended the same way it had previously. Ippo wondered if it was fate, or if Takamura-san was just that strong and dedicated to personally humiliating him.

The fight with Oda Yuusuke had been surprisingly easy. Ippo had been training hard, and he was more use to fighting in the ring, but it had been more than that. When they'd first fought, Oda-san had been relentless. Ippo hadn't learned the peek-a-boo style yet, and so his defense was lacking. Those two things had combined to make it a difficult match. This time he'd planned to avoid getting hit so much, and therefore avoid the cut he'd gotten the first time. Instead it was like Oda-san was a completely different boxer. How could that be? Ippo hadn't done anything that would've changed his opponent so much. Were things changing outside the scope of his actions, or did his actions have a wider scope than he thought?

"Argggghhhh!"

It was too confusing. At least today would be a good day at school. The day after his first match. His popularity had been fleeting, and it wasn't why he was boxing, but it had been nice while it lasted. So at least he'd get half a day of having people be interested in him. Oh! Today was also the start of Umezawa-san being friendly, or at least not beating him up! Today was going to be a great day!

* * *

Yesterday had been a disaster. Ippo hadn't gotten punched once in his match, so he hadn't needed bandages. So there had been nothing for his classmates to ask about. Nobody knew he was a boxer, and his fleeting dream of a small amount of popularity had gone un-answered. Worst still was that Umezawa-san had bullied him again. Fortunately the delinquent's attacks were just as slow and clumsy as before, so he'd been able to run away without getting hurt. Things were spiraling out of control. He wanted Umezawa as a friend. He needed him if he was going to box, otherwise his mother would work herself to hard. Ippo needed a plan, but he couldn't think of anything.

He'd thought of asking people for advice, but he couldn't tell his mom - she'd be worried that he was being bullied. He couldn't ask Takamura, Aoki, or Kimura - all of them would just suggest beating up Umezawa. That only left Kamogawa-sensei. Ippo didn't want to bother the coach with trivial things, but what else could he do? If Umezawa didn't believe he was a boxer, the two of them might never become friends. Wait, if that was the case Ippo could give them tickets to his next match. The three of them said they were boxing fans, so they'd probably come. Ippo decided it was a good plan. He'd endured several months of bullying since he came back, he could take one more.

* * *

"Uhm...Here!"

"What's this?" Umezawa looked over the slips of paper that Makunochi had just handed to him and his friends.

"W-Well, I thought that Umezawa-kun might enjoy going to a b-boxing match. I-It's in one month. I don't know who my opponent will be but I'll be fighting at Kourakuen Hall. PLEASE COME!" Ippo's last sentence was punctuated by a deep bow that he held for a long time.

Umezawa didn't know what to make of such a request. After the boxing license incident they had been nervous around their favorite victim. Despite the speed and skill he'd demonstrated then, Ippo still had a face and a demeanor that begged to be picked on. Now he was giving the three of them tickets to see him fight? Makunochi must really be a pro-boxer. He'd probably be super weak, but the other matches that night might be entertaining. "Who you talking so casually to? Huh?! As a favor to you we'll come watch, but don't forget you owe us."

"Thank you!" Ippo bowed with a huge grin on his face and quickly turned away.

"So he's inviting us to see him box?"

"You think it's a warning or trap or something?"

"From Ippo? There's no way. He's probably just super nervous and wants us there to cheer for him or some stupid stuff like that!"

"As if cheering could help that loser!"

"Still...he moved really fast that one time, I mean what if he's actually really strong."

The three of them shared a nervous chuckle. There was just no way a punching bag like Ippo could be a strong boxer right?

* * *

Kamogawa looked on at his gym's newest professional boxer. Makunochi Ippo was a rare find indeed. If you had only watched his fight, you'd have never expected it was his first time in ring as a pro. The kid picked up on things surprisingly quickly. If Takamura was to be believed then Ippo had adopted his peek-a-boo stance from just watching videos of Mike Tyson. It wasn't a hard stance to use, but maintaining it at all times usually took quite a bit of practice. Even when the brat had been knocking out Oda Yuusuke, he'd only dropped it while throwing a punch, and immediately resumed it after. If Kamogawa had to choose a style for him, he would've picked peek-a-boo himself. It was a natural fit for the kid, and he had stumbled across it on his own. If it wasn't for his personality outside of the ring anyone would call Ippo a genius. A few still might. That reporter had come to talk to Ippo about the rookie tournament. A first round K.O. in under a minute was granting him a lot of attention.

It was easy to look like a genius against someone so obviously out of shape as Oda though. The kid's basics still were rough around the corners. Soon he'd ready for a new punch, but until then they'd work on his jab. The kid had mentioned that he'd bought arm and leg weights and had been using them while working on his family's fishing boat. It wouldn't do to train most punches while wearing such a thing. The extra weight would throw off your timing and give a false sense of power that would only exist while training. For jabs however they'd work perfectly. For the last week Ippo had alternated having one of his arms tied to his chest and jabbing the heavy bag non-stop with the other while wearing the weights. By his next match he should have a jab that was both incredibly quick and was capable of inflicting damage.

"Coach, we've just gotten confirmation about Ippo-san's next match." Yagi had come down to the basement training area.

"Who's his opponent?"

"Maeda Gym's Fujiwara Yoshio."

"Let me see that report...hmmmm...Only two matches, I'd say the kid already has more experience than him. As long as you count that spar against Miyata. Still he's a step above Oda. For an opponent right before the Rookie King Tournament he'll work nicely."

* * *

"Check it out, here it is." Umezawa pointed towards the scorecard.

*Fujiwara Yoshio vs. Makunochi Ippo*

"Until I see it with my own eyes I'll never believe he's a boxer."

"I bet he get's K. in the first round."

"Then we can laugh at Ippo with everything we have! Heh heh heh."

"...but what if he's actually really strong?"

"..."

"No way that could ever happen! A-anyways, lets go watch."

The three of them made their way to the seats Ippo had gotten for them. They were at the railing on the 3rd floor. A bit far away, but an un-obstructed view.

"Man, Ippo's match is the 3rd one. We have to sit through two other matches before it starts!"

The first two matches weren't very impressive. The first matches were always warm-ups for the main event. If Ippo was going 3rd that must mean he wasn't very good. The score card listed his record as 1-0, so this must be his second match. The first two matches had both ended with a decision, and now it was time for Ippo's. Their classmate came walking down the aisle wearing trunks and boxing gloves.

"Wow, he really looks like a boxer!"

Ippo proceeded to the middle on the ring, and repeatedly bowed to everyone.

"No matter how you look at it, that's still Ippo."

"That timid posture doesn't go with the situation, what's wrong with him?"

"Umezawa! Check out Ippo's opponent."

"Eh?"

"He looks pissed!"

"He looks like he's a yakuza!"

"Look at the size of that forehead. He doesn't have any eye-brows!"

"Ippo's in trouble."

*nod*

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rung and the match began. The two boxers approached each other and exchanged jabs. Suddenly Fujiwara let fly a strong left, Ippo ducked underneath it and stepped in. The scary-looking boxer immediately threw a right at Ippo's face, but their classmate blocked it. Now that the distance between the two fighters had been reduced, Makunochi suddenly became a blur of motion. A powerful right hook knocked Fujiwara to the side, then a flurry of jabs followed up. When the other boxer raised his guard to protect his face, Ippo switched to body blows. The hook had been strong, and the jabs had been quick, but Ippo's attack at his opponent's stomach was completely unguarded. From his vantage point, Umezawa could see the look of agony the came across Fujiwara's face. He could also see the look turn to anger, and the head-butt that followed.

*thwack!*

It made a disgusting sound that was heard over the crowd. Ippo didn't even flinch, instead he crouched down underneath his taller opponent. It looked like Makunochi threw some kind of uppercut, but it stopped at Fujiwara's stomach. The older man had used both his hands to block. Ippo's response was to throw another with his other hand.

*Thump!*

Fujiwara's head snapped back, he raised his arms as if to clinch with Ippo. (Something Umezawa had see far too much of in the first two matches.) Out of nowhere Ippo's opponent clutched his stomach and fell over. The referee ran in between the two boxers and raised his hands.

*ding*ding*ding*

They hadn't bothered with a count. Ippo had knocked his opponent out in the first round.

"Did you see his upper?"

"Yeah, but mine's the strongest!"

"No, mine is!"

The three of them bickered for a while.

"With that his record is 2 and 0."

"I heard he knocked his other opponent out in less than a minute just like this one!"

"...he really is strong."

"..."

K.O. Time 1st Round: 55 seconds

Kourakuen Hall

Macunochi Ippo Victory

2-0-0 2 K.O.s

* * *

"Hey Ippo, come here!"

Ippo had been leaving school when Umezawa grabbed him when he came outside. The delinquent dragged him around the corner where 11 other boys waited.

"uhm..."

"Here he is! The friend I was talking about. Makunochi Ippo: a pro boxer. He's knocked all his opponent's out in less than a minute.!"

"Really?"

"He doesn't look like much."

"We saw it too! His uppercut was amazing!"

"Yeah!"

Ippo smiled quietly as he stood back. It was nice to be accepted and acknowledged again. After the talking about boxing had died down, Ippo began to walk away. He had to get to the gym and train some more. Umezawa came up behind him and draped his right arm across Ippo's shoulders.

"So you're going to get me tickets for your next fight too right?"

* * *

Three months had passed since Ippo's last fight. It was June, and he was now in his final year of high school. For the other students it was a stressful time of cramming for exams to get into college, or preparation to get a job in a year. Ippo however was already employed, both as a helper to the family fishing company and as a boxer. He still was stressed out though. The Rookie Championship Tournament's pairing were going to be announced soon. Would they be the same as before? Or would he be matched up against other people? With no opponent yet, the coach had been drilling the basics into him - especially his jab. He'd been able to keep up with Takamura-san's menu too. His senpai hadn't had any matches lined up for a while now. It made his training schedule easier, but Takamura himself was getting more and more agitated.

One advantage Ippo had over Takamura was the availability of sparing partners. Kimura and Aoki were above his weight class, but only by 1 and 2 levels. There was no-one close to Takamura's weight in the gym. No other gym's middleweights wanted to spar with the #1 ranked boxer either, and Takamura's personality didn't help matters. If Ippo was going to be matched up with Jason Ozuma in the 1st round, that would change. It had been sparring against Takamura's hooks that had prepared Ippo for his match with the foreign boxer the first time. Undoubtedly if he went up against Ozuma again, Kamogawa-sensei would have him experience his senpai's punches again first hand.

"Ippo-kun!" Yagi came bursting through the doors of the gym. "The committee has dispersed. The schedule for the Rookie King Tournament has been posted!"

So soon? Ippo hadn't been expecting to know the pairings until tomorrow. Had he just gotten the date wrong or was this another change from the timeline he remembered? He quickly looked at the seeding order on the chart.

1st seed: Hayami Ryuuichi - A favorite to win: last year's inter high champ.

6th seed: Makunochi Ippo

7th seed: Jason Ozuma - So he and Ozuma-san both had a buy and would fight in the 2nd round, just like before.

11th seed: Mashiba Ryou - In block B.

20th seed: Miyata Ichirou - It was setup the way he remembered. Miyata-kun and Mashiba-san were likely going to meet in the Semi-finals.

"So I'm going to fight with Ozuma-san. Good!" Jason was really strong. His hook was as powerful as a boxer several weight classes higher. If he wanted to challenge Date again, getting experience fighting with strong opponents like Ozuma-san was necessary.

"Is that how you say it? Not Otsuma?"

"He's a foreigner. His name is pronounced 'Jason Ozuma'."

"You're familiar with him Ippo?"

"Yeah! He's an incredibly strong boxer with an insanely powerful hook. He's 3 an 0 right now with 3 K.O.s"

"..."

* * *

"Hey Aoki." Takamura motioned for the other boxer to come closer. "I think I know what's up with Ippo."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean how he used to be a complete and utter novice, but picked things up and used techniques that nobody has taught him. How he knows all about no-name boxers, even their records and styles. How he's un-usually nervous right before we do stuff to him. It's like he knows it's coming."

"So you think Ippo's..."

"He's Psychic!"

"Well...I suppose. I mean I'm good with predicting fortunes." This earned a muffled snort from Takamura. "Which is to say something like that isn't impossible."

"Exactly! So I have a plan. Hey! Ippo! Come here!"

"W-what?"

"C'mon I have a place I want to show you."

"B-but my fight... I need to train."

"Just c'mon!" Ippo didn't stand a chance in resisting his senpai's strength. "If it'll make you feel any better, we'll run there."

After half a hour they'd reached their destination. Ippo looked around like he'd never been to such a place before, which was probably true.

"Ok, here we are." Takamura flung open the door of a shady looking place. A cloud of cigarette smoke greeted the two of them. "YO! Ryuuzaki! I'm going to clean you out today!"

"Huh? Is that Takamura? I haven't seen you in years. How's that boxing thing going?"

"Fine, fine. Any majhong games starting soon?"

"We have some people. You want in?"

"You got it."

Takamura sat down at the table and whispered to Ippo. "Now look, don't stand up or do anything that makes it seem like you could be looking at the other player's tiles go it?"

"Uhm...Ok...Why am I here Takamura-san?"

"You just tell me what tiles you think I'm going to draw. It'll be easy money. Gah ha ha ha ha!"

Things deteriorated pretty quickly after that.

* * *

Ippo had started dashing between bars at the playground by his house as soon as he'd found out Ozuma-san was his opponent. The horizontal bars were just about the exact height that a hook would come in at. The combination of moving while quickly having to duck was excellent training. The last bar was still giving him problems, but he'd gotten past the first two quicker than he remembered doing previously. If it wasn't for the fact that he could only train with the bars at certain times, Ippo felt he'd have gotten it already. Unfortunately it was just too embarrassing to do with people watching, especially little kids.

At the gym Ippo found Takamura waiting for him in the ring. Sparring with Takamura-san would provide priceless experience, but his senpai had been surly ever since he'd lost at majhong. At least he hadn't pressured Ippo for money. Instead Takamura had taken pleasure in teasing and pranking his kouhai.

"Hey Ippo! We're going to have some fun!"

*Gulp*

Even with his senpai wearing 16 ounce gloves and only throwing hooks, Ippo sincerely doubted that he'd enjoy this. Takamura didn't wait a second before throwing a hook that knocked Ippo off his feet.

"Takamura! Wait for him to take a fighting stance at least!" Somewhere in the distance Ippo could hear Kamogawa-sensei. It was only due to his headgear and the knowledge of what to expect from his senpai's punches that had allowed Ippo to stay conscious. "Ippo! Get up! You'll pass this training when you land a punch on Takamura."

For 8 days Ippo had been sparring with the #1 Middleweight ranked boxer after their road work. It had only taken 5 to master the bars in the park, but unlike his senpai - they didn't hit back. At least Takamura was getting in a better mood - Ippo had quit finding majhong tiles in his shoes, locker, clothes, and gloves. He was also close to dodging Takamura's hook. For the last few days he'd been taking the punch in the back of his head rather than the face. It made him feel dizzy and black out a little, but it meant that the speed of his duck was increasing. Finally after nearly an hour in the ring, Takamura's hook came and Ippo didn't feel any pain. He'd done it! A successful dodge! Just as he looked up to land an attack of his own, everything went black.

When he came to, the coach said that there'd been enough of Ippo's sparing with Takamura.

* * *

The next day Ippo tried to get a feel for punching immediately after he dodged. He still wasn't quick enough to catch Ozuma. The American just had too good of reflexes. Ippo thought that if he could only attack and dodge simultaneously then he'd have a critical edge against the black boxer.

"Ippo! The match is tomorrow, so lets go over your strategy." Coach Kamogawa was motioning him to come over. Ippo wondered what more there was to say. His strategy was to duck and counter attack, or failing that to try for a simultaneous exchange.

"Yes coach!"

"Ozuma is taller than you and has a better reach, but he's also an in-boxer so that advantage is negated. That's the assumption Ozuma will enter the match with, and one we'll exploit!"

"Exploit his longer reach?"

"His reach may be longer, but his Sunday Punch is the hook. Hooks have a very short reach, so even with longer arms you'll be able to hit him before his hook hits you!"

"Uhm... so I should...?"

"Jab! Jab! What have we been working on? Your jab! Do NOT try and out-box him! Just stand your ground and jab when he gets into range."

"Won't he jab back?"

"Of course he will, but his jab will lose to yours! If he were an out-boxer, his superior reach would allow him to attack without retaliation. However, Ozuma will want to move to close range. Make him pay for it! The fight will be decided up close, and that's when your duck will come into play. Before then don't throw anything but jabs and one-twos! Understand kid?"

"Yes!"

* * *

Jason Ozuma looked across the ring at his opponent. Makunochi Ippo looked different than he had at the weigh in. The quiet and polite boy was gone, and a boxer that positively radiated determination had taken his place. Jason advanced slowly, they were both infighters and he heard about Makunochi's power. The first one to land a clean hit would have a huge advantage. When they got in range Jason threw two quick jabs. The smaller boxer's defense held as he advanced. Ippo began to jab also. Jason felt that he was being pelted with rocks. This kid's power was no joke! The two of them continued to jab at each other. Jason had the longer reach, so at long range the advantage was his.

*pap*pap*pap*

After a minute he wasn't so certain. Ippo's short reach made for surprisingly quick jabs. The Japanese fighter's guard was also effective. Neither of them had scored a hit yet, but Jason's arms were getting numb just from blocking Makunochi's jabs. At this rate Ippo would win. When they got to close range things would change though. Jason had a lot of pride in his hook. When he got to use it the match would be his. In a sudden flash of insight, the other side's strategy became apparent. Ippo was an in-boxer, but they wanted to avoid an in-fight! That was why he was only throwing jabs and not leaving an opening for Jason to close the distance! With the power of Makunochi's jabs it could work too! Ozuma's longer reach should've have given him an advantage, but even if he threw straights they wouldn't be stronger than Ippo's jabs. Trying to out-box him wouldn't work. In a trade off of straights vs. jabs - Makunochi's jabs were shorter, but almost as strong, and significantly faster. It was time to get the match really started!

Jason pressed forward. He was going to force an in-fight. *pap*pap* A quick one-two from Ippo brought him up short. The kid's jab was tough, but his right was insane. Again and again Jason tried to pressed in by weaving to the right or left, and again and again that quick one-two was too much! Staying at range wasn't working, but he couldn't get closer. Even without taking an unblocked hit, he was beginning to feel damage from those jabs accumulating. There was nothing to do, but he couldn't let his gym down. They were too important to him! Jason gritted his teeth and charged in straight forward.

*pap*pap*pap*

The jabs felt like straights, but he'd made it. Twisting his entire body, Jason threw his Sunday Punch. He'd practiced his hook long and hard. By twisting his legs and shifting his weight at the same time that his hook's movement started - all of his body was put behind the punch. It made for an acceleration few could match or withstand.

*FWOOSH*

His hook had missed! How could he have missed? Below him Ippo looked up from his duck. Fast! The Japanese boxer threw a sudden uppercut!

*FWOOSH*

Jason could feel the wind from that punch! It was by the narrowest of margins that he'd been able to dodge, but now Makunochi was open.

*FWOOSH*

Ippo had ducked his left hook also! The crouching boxer straightened up with another powerful uppercut!

*FWOOSH*

*FWOOSH*FWOOSH*

*FWOOSH*

*FWOOSH*

*FWOOSH*

*FWOOSH*

Double hooks failed to connect, and repeat hooks with the same hand faired no better. Each time Ippo had responded with a bone-chilling punch of his own. Just one of those punches would cause enough damage by itself that he might no be able to get back up. This was dangerous!

*ding*ding*ding*

* * *

Kamogawa had been on the edge of his seat. What an intense round for one in which a single clean blow hadn't landed. He quickly put out the stool for Ippo and readied some water and an ice bag.

"*hah* *hah* I could *hah* see it this time. *hah* The way he shifts his weight, it's so fast. *hah* *hah* I can't hit him *hah* unless it's at the same time." The kid was breathing heavily, but didn't look worn out.

"Ok then. Aim for a simultaneous exchange!"

"Yes!"

"Ozuma will be rushing in from the start this next round. Don't bother with jabs, get ready for a hitting match!"

"Yes!"

"Seconds out!"

"Go get him kid!"

*nod*

Ippo was already focusing on the other boxer.

"Aiming for a simultaneous hit? Coach are you sure that's a good idea." Yagi looked concerned.

"It's true that the kid hasn't taken a lot of damage before, but he got up from Miyata's counter so I think he has it in him. Of course if he hadn't suggested it, I wouldn't have told him to do something that risky. If Ippo says that's the only way he'll land a hit, then I believe him. The true strength of a boxer is their spirit! I want to see how Ippo performs when things get tough in the ring." Yagi's expression hadn't changed. "We'll be ready with the towel if it goes badly."

*ding*ding*ding*

Just as he thought, Ozuma rushed out at the start of the round. The secondary goal of the jabs had worked. Ozuma had to take them into account, and it limited his options. The two boxers met in the center of the ring and Ozuma started with his powerful right hook. Ippo threw one of his own. The two hooks landed at the same time, and both boxers staggered back.

"You've stopped his rush! Get in there kid!"

Ippo responded to the cheers of the crowd and his coach. His step-in was quick - surprisingly so. The brat threw a body blow with his left, and then a hook with his right. Ozuma blocked the first punch, but Kamogawa could see him grimace. The hook missed completely as the American swayed back. Jason then twisted and returned fire with a right hook. Ippo swung with his left at the same time, the two punches crossed over each other and both connected. A body blow. A straight. More hooks. The fight had become a brawl, but the kid was giving as good as he got. Most of Ozuma's punches were his still highly polished hooks, but every one of them were ducked under or met with a punch in return. Ippo was favoring body blows, obviously trying to get through Jason's guard and stop his feet. If the kid managed it then the black boxer's hooks would be drastically reduced in power. Kamogawa noticed that Ippo's movements were starting to slow down.

The change happened in an instant. Ozuma blocked a body blow and threw a short upper, the unexpected punch hit cleanly. Ippo's head jerked up, and then to both sides as Jason connected with a left-right hook combo. Ippo collapsed like a rag doll. The ref moved over and took a look. Just as he raised his arms to indicate a no-contest, Ippo swayed back up.

"Are you all right?"

"..." Ippo stared at his opponent, there may have been a slight nod of his head.

"Can you take your stance?" The kid raised his arms, but his right fist was under his chin rather than in front and his left was further away from his face than the peek-a-boo style called for. His weight was forward on his left leg, like he was ready to in-box. "Fight!"

"What's with that stance." Yagi didn't recognize it. From Ozuma's reaction he didn't know what to make of it either.

"That's the stance he used for practicing jabs. Why would he be...? He's unconscious! He's just moving on instinct! Quick Yagi! The towel!"

*BAP!*

The sound of a clean punch rang out. In that condition Ippo had no guard! Ozuma had advanced on the brat! One punch could kill him in such a state! Kamogawa spun around. Ippo was still standing. Jason had pressed in, but the kid repelled him with a jab. Ippo's corner was stunned for a second, and in that time Ozuma charged in again.

*BAP!*

Another jab slipped past his guard and scored a clean hit.

"Are you sure?" Kamogawa shook his head. He wasn't certain of anything at the moment. There was still 1:14 to go in the round. There was no way Ippo could Ozuma away for that long right?

*BAP!*BAP!*BAP!*

Over and over Ippo scored clean hits. Jason was damaged. His attempts at slipping past the jab or rushing through it were completely ineffective! Breathing heavy, the American boxer now stood his ground and looked at Ippo. Amazingly, Ippo had held off the taller opponent with just jabs! That stance might not offer any defense, but it provided the ideal platform from which to launch an un-ending series of jabs. If Kamogawa had seen Mashiba's hit-man style's flicker jabs, he would've drawn a parallel between the two. Powerful jabs at an increased "range", that absolutely prevented an opponent from advancing. Jason had stopped trying to slip past or break through Ippo's jabs.

7 seconds...

"That's it, just stand there." Yagi was muttering to himself.

6 seconds...

If Ozuma tried jabs or straights of his own, Kamogawa wasn't sure what would happen.

5 seconds...

4 seconds...

Jason inched forward.

3 seconds...

Ippo took a step forward and threw a quick one-two.

2 seconds...

Ozuma had blocked the attack, but it had brought his offense up short.

1 second...

*ding*ding*ding*

Kamogawa rushed into the ring to get Ippo to his corner. The kid made it back without any help though.

"Ippo! Are you ok?"

"*hah* *hah* I blacked out for a little while. *hah* When I came to I was jabbing Ozuma-san. *hah* I couldn't move my legs, and *hah* it seemed to be working."

"Good job. Can you continue?" Blacking out could be serious, but Ippo didn't seem to be in trouble.

"Yes!"

"Then rest for now. It'll be over next round."

"...*hah*...*hah*..."

*ding*ding*ding*

* * *

Ippo advanced on Ozuma. It seemed obvious now that he knew where to look. The other boxer had taken a lot of damage. His punches were still alive though. Ippo knew someone like Ozuma was still a threat, even like this. The round started the same as the first one, with the boxers exchanging jabs. Ozuma was waiting though, he'd undoubtedly recovered between rounds. Ippo didn't think his jabs would be able to hold the other boxer back for long, but that was fine. The coach's strategy had worked, but Ippo felt more at home at close range. The fleeting idea of moving back and forth and alternating jabs and power hits came to him, but it was quickly dismissed. It was better to focus on one thing at a time, anymore and he'd get sloppy.

While Ippo's attention was briefly elsewhere, Jason rushed forward. He blocked Ippo's one-two and unleashed a right hook with everything he could put behind it.

*FWOOSH!*

Ippo's body moved on it's own. Looking up from his duck, Ippo saw his chance. Ozuma had over-extended himself. Before he could recover, Ippo stepped in, swiveled his hips and landed a Liver Blow with his left hand. Ozuma clutched his side and kneeled over. Less than 20 seconds into the round Ippo had scored a down! Jason would get up, Ippo was certain it'd take more than that to keep him down. However rookie matches only had 4 rounds, and were called after 2 knockdowns. There was plenty of time to get the second.

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9"

Ozuma staggered to his feet. His legs almost gave out on him, but he took up a fighting stance. Ippo rushed in. Three small, quick body blows were blocked. Jason returned a left to the body and a right at Ippo's head. The left was blocked, but the right connected. It was nothing! Ippo refused to acknowledge the punch. 'No matter how much it hurts, make him think his punch was ineffective. That's the secret to trading blows.' The coaches words from his first fight with Ozuma kept going through Ippo's mind. If he showed pain, he'd lose! Date hadn't showed any weakness! If he wanted surpass the champion, he would have to endure without showing the damage he'd taken.

The two boxers traded blow after blow. It didn't hurt! There was no way he'd let those punches hurt him! There was some truth to the bravado he was projecting. The liver blow had stopped Ozuma's legs. His weight-shifting had ceased. Without that, the black boxer's offense and defense were drastically reduced. Then it came again.

*FWOOSH!*

Ippo ducked the hook and came back with a left long uppercut aimed at Ozuma's stomach. The punch was blocked, but the damage went through Jason's guard. A right straight! A left! A right! Ippo hammered his punches into Ozuma's face repeatedly. After the 4th, Jason fell backwards.

"Stop!" The referee motioned to the score-keeper. It was a T.K.O.

K.O. Time 3rd Round: 1 minute 5 seconds

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament - Semi-Quarter-Final

Macunochi Ippo Victory

3-0-0 3 K.O.s


	6. Rookie King Tournament - Part 2

Rookie King Tournament - Part 2

The day after the Ozuma fight Ippo had school. His face was puffy from where it'd been hit with hooks, and he was wearing large gauze pads. This was bound get the attention of his class, so Ippo smiled to himself as he entered the school yard.

"Hey Ippo!" Umezawa waved to him from the front of the building where he and some scary-looking younger boys were hanging out. "That was an amazing fight man!"

"T-Thank you."

"Even that first round. You could cut the tension with a knife!"

"Y-yeah."

"So... you gonna get me some tickets for your next match?" Ippo nodded. The tickets weren't THAT expensive and he got a discount if he was fighting that night.

His classmates had gathered around him when he entered his homeroom. The news that he was a professional boxer and that he'd won his first 3 matches caused quite the stir. Once again, by lunchtime everyone had gone back to talking about other things. It didn't matter though. The attention he'd gotten was enough.

* * *

Ippo wasn't allowed to train after a match. The coach always made him rest. The old man had been adamant after the Oda Yuusuke fight, so there was no way he was going to be let back in the gym for at least a day. With nothing to do, Ippo sat at home thinking about what was to come. The Yamanaka bakery would be open now, he could visit Kumi-san just as soon as the swelling went down. Fortunately Takamura had loaned him some more Mike Tyson videos, so now Ippo had a chance to watch them during his forced break.

It was the same. Both Ozuma and Tyson had a way of moving in the ring. There styles were different, but their lateral movement had the same core: weight shifting. Ippo knew he still had a lot to work on. After seeing Ozuma in action again, improving his ability to shift his weight left and right was a top priority. Both the offensive power it would provide, and the defensive dodging that would come with it were essential. Ippo began to wonder about that. If he could've dodged Ozuma while attacking at the same time, he wouldn't of had to resort to simultaneous exchanges. Weight shifting was a major component in both punching and dodging. The idea of a duck or dodge that incorporated an attack didn't seem impossible. It was something he was going to practice at least.

In the video Tyson had unleashed a flurry of blows that left his opponent on the canvas. Ippo rewound the tape to watch the exchange over and over. If he could be that amazing one day, then beating Date was a possibility.

* * *

It had only taken a few days for his face's swelling to go down. Ippo looked at his reflection in the locker-room's mirror - with the bandages removed he looked like his old self again. Would he ever be as impressive as people like Miyata-kun or Takamura-san? The only way that could happen was if he kept on training. Kamogawa-sensei had let him start back up on the basics: road-work and mitt-hitting. Now with the bandages off, he might allow sparring too. Ippo had spent his free time the last few days at the park again. Ducking under the bars had improved his reaction-speed, and were a great way to practice dodging hooks. There was more too it than that though. He'd been weaving around and under the bars while running at full speed. It took some work to not get hit by either the vertical or the horizontal bars. Basically he was shifting his weight right, left, and right again each time.

Ippo had found some old straw mats at home that his mother had let him use. Tied to the vertical bars, they made good targets. He couldn't have punched them too hard even if he was wearing gloves, the steel underneath would win that particular exchange, but the mats would suffice for light blows. Each time he ran through the bars, he'd slap the mats on his way past. It was similar enough to a punch that he could feel his weight behind the motion. This was the kind of simultaneous dodging and attacking that he'd wanted to use against Ozuma. Ippo smiled as he thought to himself: if Tree-sama ever sends me back again then I'm definitely going to prepare for the first round of the Rookie Tournament like this. There'd be time to practice that later though, it was getting dark and it was time he headed home. Ippo finished changing clothes and left the gym.

The Yamanaka bakery - he'd go tonight. With the bandages off, there was no longer any excuse to postpone it. Sure enough, it was open now. Ippo's heart beat faster as he went inside. Kumi-san was there at the counter. He'd have to play it cool. The first impression was vital. Ippo moved to pickup a tray and tongs, but his back-pack caught on one of the baskets of bread by the door. *thump* The basket fell down and spilt it's contents on the ground.

"AHHHH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Ippo apologized profusely as he bent over to pick up the bread off the floor. He then realized he'd done so with his hands, so they couldn't sell the bread now. Of course they couldn't sell bread that'd been on the floor either...

"Uhm..." Kumi was looking over at him.

"I-I-I'd like to buy all of these!" Ippo put the rolls back in the basket and held it out to her.

"It's all right, those were old. I was going to throw them out soon. Why don't you pick something from the fresh baskets over here." Kumi smiled. She was genuinely not upset with him. Ippo was barely able to respond while he picked some bread without even looking at it. Soon he was out of the store and walking home. Kumi-san was so nice, but how could he show his face there again? Still, the way she looked and smelled... Ippo breathed in deeply through his nose and a smile came to him. It wasn't perfect, but it was still a nice night.

* * *

Takamura was standing outside Kourakuen Hall. One of his former kohais was going to fight, and his current kohai was going to watch the match with him. Ippo had school today, so it'd probably be a bit longer until he got here. Takamura didn't mind waiting though. Most people in the crowd recognized him, and whispered when they walked past. It was hard to be so awesome and famous at time. It must be nice for Ippo to have such an amazing senpai as him! With his height, it was easy to spot Ippo through the crowd while he was still a ways away.

"Oh! Over here! You got here pretty early for someone who just got out of school."

"I could barely contain myself. I get to see Miyata-kun in the pro ring today!" Nothing did get Ippo as fired up as Miyata. Those two would make great rivals for each other.

"Great, then let's go find some open seats."

Once they found their seats and sat down, Ippo was fidgeting. It wasn't the nervous energy that he showed before Takamura got the urge to tease him a little. Did he sense something was going to happen? Ippo might not have been able to predict Majhong tiles, but that didn't mean he wasn't psychic. Was something going to happen in the Miyata match? Ippo turned to face him. His kohai was rubbing the back of his head and his face was bright red.

"Why are you blushing? Is something going on?"

"Um... Can you tell me where row E, seat 11 is?" Some school girl was looking around for her seat.

"S-seat 11? It's right here!" Ippo motioned next to himself. Takamura looked down, he was in 13 - so Ippo was in 12, and 11 was indeed next to them. Had his kohai remembered their seat numbers? They'd been sitting for more than 10 minutes, and Takamura had forgotten what seats they were in as soon as they'd found them. The lights were dimming, so the match was about to start. To his right Ippo was blushing with his eyes closed and his nostrils flared.

"What did you come here for! Miyata's match is starting!" Takamura yelled at Ippo and smacked him on the head. Before he'd said a word, the younger boy and suddenly hunched down and shielded his head from Takamura's punch. How'd he known it was coming? Takamura looked at his kohai suspiciously.

In the ring, Miyata and his opponent Takada Teruhiko were being announced.

"Miyata's gained quite a bit on muscle mass in his shoulders."

"Yeah, he looks strong!" Ippo replied.

"His opponent, Takada, is the same type of fighter as you."

"Y-Yes, but Miyata-kun will win!" Ippo had a lot of faith in his rival. Still, if Takada got in a good shot then anything could happen.

*ding*ding*ding*

"Fight!"

Miyata approached his opponent, but stopped at long range - typical for an out-boxer. Then he stopped his leg movement and stood flat-footed - very strange for an out-boxer. Takada threw some punches, but Miyata easily dodged to the side or swayed back to avoid them. His opponent then rushed in and pushed against him with his shoulder, and Miyata pushed back. It was if he wanted an in-fight. No, like he knew that an in-fight would be inevitable against a certain someone, and he wanted some practice. The two boxers began to trade blows. Miyata took a few hits, but he blocked most of the punches thrown at him. On the other hand, Takada was taking ever hit cleanly. It soon became apparent that Miyata had the upper hand. His opponent must've realized it also since he went to clinch. Miyata twisted quickly in his arms and threw a very compact right upper at Takada's jaw. Another twist was followed by a left upper. His opponent reeled away, but Miyata didn't move to press his advantage.

Takada staggered back briefly, but in less than a second he surged forward throwing a flurry of straights. Miyata crouched down and raised his guard. The attack was vicious, but sloppy.

*CRACK!*

The sound of Miyata's counter rang out through the hall. Takada fell and did't get back up.

*ding*ding*ding*

"Winner: Miyata Ichirou!"

"Looks like Miyata's learned a few things."

"That upper-cut in the clinch! Where'd he pick up something like that!"

"Yeah...Where would he have gotten the idea of counter-attacking a clinch from?" Takamura's sarcasm was wasted on Ippo. How could he be so prophetic about some things, and clueless about others? "If you want to win against Miyata, you'll have to evolve too."

There! That stupid expression with the closed eyes and flared nostrils! Ippo wasn't getting away with it this time!

"B-Bastard! I'm trying to have a serious talk with you...and what the hell's up with that nose?!"

"Uh Uwah! I'm sorry!"

* * *

Kumi stood at the counter of the bakery. Between her internship at the hospital during the morning and the amount of studying she had to do at night, evenings at Yamanaka bakery were the most restful time of her day. Afternoons were pretty busy, but Ms. Yamanaka was nice and let her also have the evening shift. The bell on the door rang as it opened. In walked a teenage boy. He had bandages on his nose and right cheek. The way he hesitantly picked out some bread was familiar... Oh! It was the customer from Wednesday! The one who'd accidentally knocked over a nearly empty basket of day-old french baguettes. She was so glad he'd decided to come back. He was very polite, and she had been afraid that he wouldn't have returned because he was ashamed. Even now she could see a slight flushing in his cheeks.

"Uhm... I'd like these please." He'd picked out some multi-grain rolls.

"Sure! That comes to 350 yen." Kumi wanted to put him at ease. Perhaps if she talked to him a little it would make him feel more comfortable. "I'm glad you decided to visit us again!"

"T-Thank you! Uh... Are you a boxing fan?" That was an odd question. Why'd he ask something like that?

"Well, not really. Why do you ask?"

"I-I saw you at Kourakuen Hall yesterday. You sat next to me during Miyata-kun's fight."

"Oh I did? I'm sorry for not recognizing you!"

"NO! Not at all! I'm sorry for bringing it up!" He was blushing furiously now, and had lowered his head.

"I did go and watch that match, but I was preoccupied and wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"I-If you don't care for boxing, why did you go to that match? D-Do you know someone that boxes? Wait! Sorry! I'm being too forward!"

"Not at all! I'm happy to talk about it. I'm just a little surprised is all. My older brother just became a professional boxer and I wanted to see what it was like."

"He's in the Rookie King Tournament?"

"Eh? That's right! You must be a fan of boxing."

"Yes! I am. I-I'm also in that tournament. I hope I don't have to fight your brother!" Was it just her imagination or did he shiver a little bit right then?

"Oh, well I'd be happier if he didn't fight anyone honestly. I don't mean to disregard boxing, but it seems so dangerous!"

"I'm sure Ku..your brother will be fine! He's probably an amazing boxer!"

"Your right! My name is Mashiba Kumi, it's nice to meet you." He was a nice boy. Were most boxers like him? It didn't seem likely.

"I'm glad to have met you Kumi-san! My name's Makunochi Ippo." He was blushing and bowing. It was cute.

* * *

Ippo had just finished doing his morning run and practice at the park bars. The weight-shifting practice was going surprisingly slowly. He had been weaving through the bars when he'd been practicing ducking, so he must have been shifting his weight for that, but trying to incorporate punches into that routine was proving to be far more difficult than he had imagined. Ippo still wanted to pursue the simultaneous dodge and attack, but it was looking like he needed to improve his basic shifting first. Perhaps he'd get Kimura or Aoki to spar with him today.

"Yo! Ippo-kun!" The door opened before an energetic Fujii Minoru.

"Ah! Fujii-san, it's been a while." Ippo hadn't seen the boxing reporter since he'd come to interview him before the tournament started.

"Did you watch Miyata-kun's match? It was incredible. Mashiba-kun advanced as well. His opponent was covered with blood. His KO scenes are always gruesome."

"So the Quarter-Finals are almost set?"

"Almost. There was also one upset. The third seed, Yoshida, was beaten by a no name fighter, Kobashi."

"I knew Kobashi-san would win!"

"What? Do you know him?"

"Yeah Ippo, why don't you tell us about him?" Takamura had come up behind Ippo.

"W-Well...Kobashi-san is a very talented fighter. He's able to drag opponent's into his own pace. His defense is amazing, and before you know it you've run out of stamina! His stance is hard to get past since he keeps his left hand out so far, and he'll clinch opponents that get in close. Getting a rhythm going while fighting him is impossible! If you come in expecting either an in-fight or an out-boxer then you'll play right into his style!"

"T-That's quite specific Ippo-kun. Have you seen him fight before?"

"Nah! Ippo here just likes to stalk boxers. Gah ha ha ha ha!" Takamura seemed awfully amused by something. "Go on! Ask him about someone else."

"Ok. How about Hayami-kun?"

"Hayami-san is the #1 seed. He won the Inter-High Championship three times in a row. He's an orthodox out-boxer, and he's really fast. He likes to throw an un-believable number of punches, it's nicknamed the 'Shotgun'. He also has a short upper to counter charging in-fighters."

"Wow Ippo-kun, your surprisingly knowledgable."

Ippo scratched his head and blushed. To the side, Takamura glared at his kohai with his brow furrowed.

* * *

Kamogawa was late arriving to the gym. Yagi was sick, and it was up to him to finalize the details of Takamura's title match. The middle-weight had taken the gym's ranked boxers with him for a week of training at the beach. If Yagi could take care of the promotion details then he could've gone to the beach to make sure they actually trained. It couldn't be helped though. At least it'd be quiet around here for a while. In front of the gym was a familiar form.

"What are you doing here brat? Didn't Takamura invite you to the beach?"

"Yeah, he did, but I can't leave my mom alone. She'd work herself until she collapsed if I let her!" Ippo sighed. "Running on the beach would've been nice to build up my toes though."

"Eh? You wanted to run on the sand?"

"Yes! My weight-shifting needs work, and the beach trip probably would've been great for improving it."

"You're right there, but you've forgotten who you're talking to brat! If it's weight shifting exercises you want, I'll show you some!"

"Yes!"

"Into the ring. Let's see what you've got!"

The kid was right, his weight-shifting needed work. By alternating the hitting mitts it was easy to set up situations where you had to adjust your center of balance to land a blow correctly. Kamogawa expected the kid to shift over then punch. Ippo was trying to shift at the same time that he was punching. If he could manage it, his punches would be faster, sharper, and far more damaging. The way he was going about it was like trying to run before learning how to walk. Where had he gotten such a foolish idea from?... Of course! It was probably the same way he'd learned to use the peek-a-boo style. Takamura must've loaned him some more Mike Tyson fight tapes.

"That does it! Your movement is terrible. Don't try to copy a boxer by mimicking their moves! If you want to fight like Tyson then you have to train like him!"

"Uhm..."

"C'mere!" In the supply room Kamogawa found an old busted speed bag. All it took was a little gravel to give it weight and some string to hang it from the ceiling. "There! We'll work on weight-shifting after this."

"What is it?"

"It's a slip bag. Tyson practiced with one of these every day. This is the training that gave him his world-class defense. If you want to box like him then do this every day!" Kamogawa positioned Ippo under where the bag was hanging. "Now I'm going to let this bag fall. It'll be like a pendulum. Dodge to the side using only your waist."

*fwoosh*

*thunk*

"Dodge it on the way back too!"

"Yes!"

*fwoosh*

*fwoosh*

"Not so exaggerated! Don't waste movement! Let it almost graze you!"

It was an hour before Ippo was doing the exercise with out any major flaws. He did pick things up quickly. It wasn't a hard exercise, but it's difficulty wasn't essential to it's purpose. The slip bag was a tool that ingrained head movement into a fighter. A constantly moving target was significantly harder to hit than a stationary one, even if the movement was a simple side to side sway.

"OK! Stand against the wall."

"Yes!"

There had been a box of tennis balls in the closet also. For weight-shifting they were ideal. Throwing the balls to the left or the right of Ippo and having him lunge to catch them would improve both his reflexes and his lateral movement. They went through the box three times - with Ippo picking the balls up after each session. It was almost noon, and there were phone calls to make and forms to fill out.

"Ok kid, you'll be on your own for the rest of the day. I'll show you an exercise you can do without any help."

"OK!"

"Take these cone and place them a little more than shoulder width apart. Stand in the middle then hop over them back and forth."

"Yes!"

Ippo proceeded to put the cones in front of him and hop over them, turn around, and hop back.

*dong* What was the brat doing? Smaking him with his cane made Kamogawa feel a little better.

"To the side! Hop to the side! This is like the tennis ball exercise, it's all about lateral movement!"

"S-Sorry!"

* * *

Ippo was excited. Today was the day Takamura, Kimura, and Aoki got back from their training trip to the beach. Ippo's week had been pretty good. Kamogawa-sensei had been pretty busy, but he'd still given Ippo lots of one-on-one instruction. The slip-bag training was amazing. Constantly moving was beginning to feel more and more natural again. It was an exercise he could do on his own, but if Coach was around the effectiveness of the training increased. The slip bag had a constant timing by itself, but if someone pushed it at you the angle and speed could vary dramatically. Kamogawa had also started having him incorporate jabs in-between swings. Ippo could already notice an improvement.

The weight-shifting exercises were also having an effect. Ippo had been worried that without Kimura's help at the beach that his training would suffer, but it was a mistake to underestimate the Coach. Not only had Ippo done the same tennis ball training he remembered, the cone hopping was just as good of a toe strengthening exercise as running in the sand would've been. Even the mitt-hitting felt like it had helped his mobility. Catching Hayami-san in the ring would require those kind of skills. Kamogawa-sensei had also taught him a new punch - the combo.

Throwing a string of punches wasn't a new idea to him, but the Coach insisted that he practice a particular combination over and over again. A combo was a double-edged sword. The speed and strength of the punches involved would increase from the constant repetition; they would also flow out more naturally in the ring. Conversely, if an opponent knew what was coming - they could avoid or block it easier. A skilled counter-puncher would be even more dangerous. Ippo had first hand knowledge of both the potential up-side and down-side of using a combo. Volg-san's "White Fang" was a simple combo - only two hits - but blocking or dodging it completely seemed impossible. However, it was Saeki-san's perfectly timed combinations that had let Ippo win in their fight. With one eye swollen shut, and Saeki attacking from his blind spot, it had been anticipating his combo that had let Ippo win. Kamogawa-sensei knew what was best though, and the combo he'd shown him had been amazing.

In keeping with emulating Mike Tyson's training - one of his combo's had been chosen. Tyson was small and quick for a heavy-weight. He was capable of delivering multiple bone shattering blows in a fraction of a second without decreasing their power. So for the past week Ippo had practiced one of his combos: a one-two - leading with the left, a liver blow, then a right overhand smash. Coach had said that his one-two and body blows were good enough to be included, but the right overhand was an entirely new punch. It was similar to a right straight, but incorporated a pivoting of the waist. The liver blow set it up both as a left punch, and it started the pivoting. The overhand reversed the direction in a smooth motion that let the user put his leg and back muscles into the final hit. Kamogawa had continued by saying the opening one-two was ideal. Since it was a series of punches that naturally flowed out in a match, an opponent wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a regular one-two and the start of the Tyson Combo.

From the corner of his eye, Ippo saw movement outside the gym's window. Takamura, Kimura, and Aoki must be back! Ippo rushed through the door to meet them, instead there was a guy wearing a red baseball cap kneeling outside the window.

"..."

The stranger quickly stood up and walked away. A small notebook fell out of his jacket from where he had shoved it when he had risen.

"...Kobashi-san?"

"erk!"

"Oh hey! It is you Kobashi-san! Hey! You dropped your notebook!" Kenta had started to walk away quickly, but at the mention of his notebook he patted his jacket pockets. After he realized he'd dropped it, he abashedly came back and stood in front of Ippo. After some hesitation, he took the small book back.

"Che...I guess you found me out."

"Oh...Uhm...Yeah, I guess you're doing research on me."

"That's right! And I'm not ashamed either!" Kobashi was getting agitated.

"W-Why would you be ashamed? Isn't knowing about your opponent beforehand common sense? I mean, I know about Kobashi's fighting style, so it'd be strange if I got upset with you finding out mine."

"So you've watched my tape?"

"Yeah! The way you wear your opponents out is really skillful!"

"Don't patronize me!"

"Wha..? I'm not..."

"I wish I had a punch like you!" Kobashi sighed and the wind seemed to leave his sails. "But for someone with nothing destructive, hard work and determination will have to suffice. I'm sorry I yelled at you. From the look on your face I can tell you were being honest. I'm...not used to complements on my 'style'."

"N-No I'm sorry if I sounded insincere!"

"..."

"Well, I'll show you my style when we fight."

"Ok! Let's have a good match."

Kobashi weakly smiled and then ran off. Ippo couldn't help but feel guilty. Kobashi-san worked so hard to gain information on his opponents, but it couldn't match the advantage Ippo himself had received. A sudden slap on his back brought Ippo out of his contemplation.

"Hey Ippo! We're back!"

"Takamura-san! Kimura-san! Aoki-san!" His three friends were standing behind him smiling.

"Bet you had a hard time with the old octopus while we were gone right?"

"Uhm..."

"Never mind that. Here!" Aoki pressed something into his hand.

"For me?" Ippo looked into his hand...in it was a 100 yen coin.

"Don't be stupid, why'd we bring you back anything? Now go get me some juice!"

"...ok"

* * *

"Yasuda-san, the third match has ended. Get Kobashi to put his gloves on and get ready, please."

"Kobashi..."

Kobashi Kenta raised his hand. The image of Makunochi and his fight was playing out in his head. Reviewing his notes, he was confident that he'd captured the other boxer's shadow. The match would be hard at the start. Ippo would come in fast. His step-in speed was amazing. Makunochi-kun had noticed him spying a few times after their first encounter, but his opponent's reaction was to wave and greet him cheerfully. Ippo was either confident, stupid, or incredibly nice - perhaps all three. From what he'd observed, Ippo was trying to improve his weight-shifting ability, and had been frequently sparring with his outboxing senpai. Undoubtedly he was training to be able to catch someone of Hayami's talent. Ippo wouldn't be facing an out-boxer though, the two of them would get into range from the start. Block, dodge, then clinch - this strategy would work. Avoiding Makunochi's jabs was the first step. He could throw them continuously for four rounds if he wanted. Stopping it was easy though, just let Ippo close the gap between them. At short range, he'd use slower, more powerful punches - probably body blows.

A cross block could absorb even one of Makunochi's stronger punches. After the block, Ippo would throw a stronger, wider attack since his first had been stopped. That punch would be dodged. After the dodge he'd jab, then clinch for one and a half seconds - far shorter than anyone would expect. After separating, he'd throw another couple of jabs to incite his opponent, then the leading game would begin. Ippo would press the attack, but Kenta would slowly retreat around the ring. The block, dodge, and clinch would continue, but Ippo would have to constantly advance. Moving slowly while punching would throw off his rhythm and drain his stamina. Makunochi was the type of fighter that liked to dash in then plant his feet so even slight movement would interrupt his style. As the fight progressed, it would fall more and more into Kobashi's favor.

*bamph*

Kenta closed his notebook. He was ready.

"Hmmm... It seems you have a fight plan." Yasuda-san commented.

"Yes, well it's just an image... Until it begins it's simply an image and nothing more. I won't have my answer until we fight."

"Despite your weak words you're very relaxed. Your legs aren't shaking today."

"Yeah!" Kobashi smiled. "I'm ready, but if it goes like my image then Makunochi-kun will fall easily."

"I see. Well then, let's go and find the answer."

"Yes!"

The roar of the crowd was exhilarating. In the back of his mind Kenta knew it was excitement over the championship fight to come, and probably some for Makunochi-kun too. It didn't matter if the crowd liked him. He'd fight using his own strengths!

"The feather-class 4 round match will begin shortly!"

"In the red corner at 125 and a half pounds: Ootaki Gym's Kobashi Kentaaaaaaa!" Kenta raised his right hand. The applause wouldn't last, but it'd be rude not to acknowledge it.

"In the blue corner at 125 pounds: Kamogawa Gym's Makunochi Ippooooo!" Makunochi-kun was bowing seriously to all the sections of the crowd.

"This is a Quarter-Final Match for the East Japan Rookie Tournament!"

While the referee was explaining the rules, Kenta looked at his opponent. Ippo's muscles looked dangerous this close. It was no wonder his punches were so strong. He had to relax. The plan would work. He just needed to stay cool.

"Ok, return to your corners."

Yasuda-san gave him a re-assuring pat on the back.

"Seconds Out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

Kobashi assumed his upright stance. His left hand was far away from his body, with his palm towards Ippo. His right was held close to his chin - in position to block. By holding his hand between himself and his opponent, Kenta could more easily read their moves. With the center of their body obscured, the movements around the edges were easier to see. It would also allow him to push his opponent's head to the side when they charged in. That move would catch nearly anyone off-guard and destroy their rhythm. Makunochi's left shoulder twitched, and his weight slightly shifted forward - he was about to dash. Fast! Faster than Kenta had anticipated! They were now at close range. What would Ippo throw? A left body blow? That was most likely. No. Ippo was shifting to his left, and his right shoulder was rising - a right hook! Kobashi swiveled to his left and crossed his arms.

*THUMP!*

Even with the cross block Kenta staggered back. Makunochi's punch strength and dash speed were better than they had been in his image! The difference between watching and experiencing was huge. At this speed, he could still adapt. The plan would still work! It was taking longer to recover than he'd expected. Kenta couldn't dodge the next punch at this rate, so he backed away. Ippo dashed in, but Kobashi pushed him to the side with his out-stretched arm. Two quick jabs followed. If Makunochi could be kept off-balance it would slow him down. Another dash-in was met with another push to Ippo's head, but the stronger fighter resisted it. The space between them had closed again. Blocking his punches while Makunochi was fully rested was a bad idea, so Kenta quickly cliched to stop the swing.

One-thousand-one...

One-thos*THUD!*

An indescribable pain tore through Kobashi's gut. All the air was expelled from his lungs. Time seemed to slow down. He could feel Ippo's muscles tightening, then that same pain seared again in his stomach. The world went black...

Kenta's vision swam. Makunochi was in front of him. Had he lost consciousness? If he had, it couldn't have been for long. Ippo's left hand jabbed at his face in slow motion. The thought of dodging never occurred to Kobashi. He couldn't think; he couldn't move; all he could do was watch as Makunochi's fist approached. The jab hit cleanly. A right followed immediately after. Kenta had seen this combination before. Ippo had been practicing it constantly. The left body blow came next... It struck the mass of pain that was Kobashi's abdomen. A right over-hand would follow, but the pain was too intense. Once again the world went black...

* * *

His right sent Kenta crashing to the matt. At nearly the same time, the referee was between them, and a towel was flying through the air. Kobashi was on the ground. His opponent lay motionless, but an ugly purple color was spreading across his stomach where the 10-centimeter punches and the liver blow had connected.

"Medics! Someone get the medics in here!" Kenta's trainer had rushed out of their corner and was kneeling at his fighter's side. Tears fell down the old man's cheeks.

*ding*ding*ding*

"Makunochi Ippo is the winner!" The sound of the ring announcer was far away. The sight of Kobashi Kenta lying on the matt was all that Ippo could see.

K.O. Time 1st Round: 24 seconds

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament - Quarter-Final

Macunochi Ippo Victory

4-0-0 4 K.O.s


	7. Rookie King Tournament - Part 3

Rookie King Tournament - Part 3

"Tonight's main event will now start! The Japan 10 round Middle Class title fight!"

"Tonight's Dynamite Glove will be presented to you by Boxing Fan's Golden Card."

"The 6 time defending champion of the Middle Class title, Yajima Yoshiaki, will take on the strongest challenger!"

"In the blue corner, weighting 160 pounds, all 8 of his matches have been 1 round KO victories! The challenger - Takamura Mamoru!"

"In the red corner, weighing 159 and a half pounds, his opponent, the champion - Yajima Toshiaki! 21 matches, 18 wins, he has defeated all of his challengers easily. Will he be able to win a 7th time?"

"The cheering team assembled for the challenger echoes through the hall. This place is already bursting with energy! The bell will sound shortly!"

Ippo was sitting in the stands with Aoki and Kimura. The sound from all the fans around them was deafening. This was a big fight for Takamura, but Ippo was confident in his senpai. All of Takamura's matches, including this one and the 3 defenses he'd done before Ippo's fight with Date had all ended with a KO in the first round. Ippo had other things on his mind at the moment. What had happened to Kobashi-san? Ippo was used to having to be carried out of the ring, so he wasn't too worried about Kenta's health. The bruise on his side had been very large and ugly, but neither the coach nor any of the other people from the Kamogawa Gym had said anything about it.

The main question was how had he won so quickly. Ippo had been training as hard as possible since he'd came back to the past, but it wasn't like he'd slacked off the first time around. Knowing Kobashi-san's tactics should've given him an edge, but Ippo had still expected a difficult fight. Kenta had taken several of his hits before. Admittedly, those had been at the end of match, when nearly all of Ippo's stamina had been drained. Could that have had such a large impact? What other reason could there be? Ippo was fully aware of how much weaker he was currently than he'd been at the fight with Date. As much as he trained, his body could only pick up new techniques so fast. The difference between knowing to duck under a hook or sway to the side of a jab, and actually being able to do it in time was huge. It could only be learned by training. Weight shifting provided more power to his punches, and Ippo felt he was better at it then he had been when he first fought Kobashi. The 10 centimeter punches didn't use any weight shifting though. They didn't do much work with weights at Kamogawa Gym, and Ippo couldn't remember what he'd been capable of lifting at this time in the past. It couldn't be that different. None of his training focused on developing muscle mass. Developing stamina and speed yes, but in terms of pure strength the Coach had never complained.

"YA-JI-MA! YA-JI-MA!" The crowd had started chanting. In the ring Takamura was down on one knee.

"5!...6!..." The count was already up to six! How could this be happening? All of Ippo's thoughts were suddenly on the match.

"Don't lose! Stand up Takamura-san! Takamura! Takamura! GO TAKAMURA! GO GO GO TAKAMURAAAAAA!" Ippo shouted frantically. How could he have forgotten? Takamura had taken a down this fight, his first one ever. The champion had pulled off a counter, normally such a thing was ineffective against Takamura because the speed and strength of his punches made any failure with the timing fatal. It was because he was so focused on his own problems that he'd forgotten that this fight hadn't been a cake walk for his invincible senpai.

"TA-KA-MU-RA! TA-KA-MU-RA!" A chant for the challenger had started. As the referee counted to nine, Takamura easily stood up.

Yajima rushed Takamura. The champion unleashed a series of jabs, but all of them failed to find their target. Takamura's head moved to the side of each punch with less than a centimeter to spare. Ippo marveled at his technique. The level of his senpai's sway had been lost on him the first time. Takamura wasted no energy - he didn't start to move until the very last second, and when he did he didn't move any more than was needed.

*TWAAAACK!*

Takamura had unleashed an upper-cut after drawing the champion in. The sound of the punch was able to be heard over the fans in the energetic and completely packed stands. Yajima reeled back and took a completely defensive stance. Takamura rained punches down on him and slowly moved him towards the ropes. Another uppercut broke the guard. Takamura went for a right hook, but the champion threw a counter punch. The punch didn't connect. Takamura slipped to the side, and connected with a clean left hook before Yajima could pull back his arm. The champion staggered, but a series of upper-cuts and straights pushed him against the ropes and kept him on his feet. The referee got between the two middle weights, then quickly stopped the match. Takamura had won with a first round knockout and was now the Japan Middle Weight Champion.

* * *

The celebration party was in full swing. Everyone from the Kamogawa Gym had gone to a local bar named Sugar Ray. Ippo sat quietly at one of the booths. He and Takamura weren't allowed alcohol since they'd had matches that night. Ippo was still under the drinking age, so he didn't mind. It was just nice to be with everyone while they celebrated. Takamura was on the other end of the non-alcoholic spectrum. The new Japan Middle Weight Champion was throughly enjoying himself, while he couldn't drink he could still enjoy the company of all the women that were present.

"Not drinking? Oh yeah, Ippo-kun's still underage."

"Ah Fuji-san." The reporter for Boxing Fan's Golden Glove had come up to him. Fuji-san must have come here to cover Takamura's Victory. "Takamura and I fought, so we're only allowed juice."

"I see."

"Uhm... Fuji-san?"

"Hmm? What is it Ippo?"

"Do you know how Kobashi-san is doing? They took him out on a stretcher, and I couldn't find him in the locker rooms."

"Oh? You didn't know? Kobashi-kun was taken to the emergency room. I don't know the details, but apparently he was operated on. The last I heard, he was in stable condition though."

"What? H-How?"

"What do you mean? It was your fight after all. Are you feeling ok Ippo-kun?"

"N-No, I mean yeah I'm feeling fine, but how did Kobashi-kun get so hurt? I know he's tougher than that. How did I win so quickly!"

"Ah, I understand now. I saw everything, so perhaps I can explain."

"Huh?"

"Well, I was at the announcer's table tonight. So I had a pretty good view."

"You were!?"

"Hey, I'm a professional reporter. Don't be so surprised that they have me as a commentator for big fights!"

"S-Sorry."

"No need to apologize Ippo-kun." Fuji slapped him on the back. "I saw an amazing punch from you tonight after all."

"You mean the 10 centimeter punch?"

"Is that what you're calling it? In any case a punch like that is a serious weapon, I doubt anyone will be clinching with you in the future!"

"It's a good punch, but how could it have been so powerful against Kobashi-san. I've used it before and it's weaker than a normal body-blow."

"Weaker huh? How to explain... Hmmmmm... I got it. Ippo-kun, you know why a counter is such a strong punch right?"

"Yeah, if the opponent's body weight is being thrown into a punch of it's own, then that same weight amplifies your punch."

"That's one reason, but there's another."

"There is?"

"Yes. A punch that you don't see coming does double or triple the damage. If you're expecting a hit, then you're body will be tense and can take it more easily. It's the punches that you don't see coming at all that do the most damage. So a counter that strikes when you think you're safe - when you think you're about to hit your opponent - takes you completely off guard. You have no defense against it. A surprise blow can bring down even the toughest of fighters."

"So...Kobashi-san didn't see my punches coming?"

"Exactly. He was in a clinch, so the thought he was safe. Kobashi-kun was probably thinking of what to do when the clinch ended. Being attacked in the middle of it didn't cross his mind, so it took him completely off guard."

"W-Wow! You're amazing Fuji-san!"

"Thanks for the kind words Ippo-kun. Now why don't you and Takamura come and pose for a photo for the next issue?"

* * *

Kumi yawned. It had been a pretty slow day at the hospital so far. She'd been lucky enough to get an internship while still in high-school, so it wouldn't be right to complain, but most of the time she wasn't helping patients. Interns generally were delegated to the more mundane tasks like manning the front desk. Kumi's schedule had her working in the early morning before school started, and it was getting near the end of her shift. Even though it was the summer break in classes, the hospital had her keep the same hours. Instead she'd have a longer shift at the bakery, but there were still a few hours in-between that she'd be able to relax.

"Uhm... H-Hello."

"Yes, may I help you?" She had instinctively said the words in response before even looking up at the person who'd approached the desk. "Oh! Ippo-san!"

"Kumi-san! I-I didn't recognize you in that uniform! You work here?"

"Well, I have an internship. So I'm not paid, but when I graduate I'm going to become a nurse." Kumi smiled pleasantly. It was a surprise to see Ippo here of all places. She wondered why he'd be at the hospital. "Why are you here Ippo-san?"

"One of my...friends...came here last night and I wanted to see how he's doing?"

"What's his name? I'll look it up for you."

"Kobashi Kenta"

"Let's see..." Kumi did a quick search on the computer and found the patient. "Yes, a Kobashi Kenta was admitted last night." Ippo looked worried, so she quickly added. "His condition is listed as stable, but unfortunately he's not allowed visitors yet."

"Oh, I see. I'm glad that he's stable. Could you tell me how serious his injury was?"

Kumi frowned a little. The chart told her how bad Kobashi's injuries were. She wasn't suppose to provide that information to people without permission. Also, looking at how nervous Ippo was, telling him how dangerous it had been for Kobashi would only make her friend feel worse. "Well, I'm not supposed to tell people that information if they don't have permission, but I guess I'll tell you a little Ippo-san." Ippo smiled at that. Kumi felt relieved and smiled back. "Kobashi-san suffered a ruptured liver caused by blunt force trauma. He had some internal bleeding, and the doctors had to operate to stop it. Right now he's listed as stable and resting, so the surgery must've been successful. He'll probably be capable of having visitors in a few days if you want to come back later."

"Oh, Ok. Thank you Kumi-san! I'm glad Kobashi-san is doing better." Ippo did another polite bow with a bashful smile. Kumi watched the boxer leave. This morning had turned out to be rather pleasant.

* * *

August ended, and with it Ippo's last high school summer vacation. At least Ippo thought that it was his last, but Tree-sama had proved him wrong before. Collage entrance exams would be soon and everyone had to see the school councilor about their career path. Ippo hadn't thought much about it, he was going to be a boxer. Choosing a different path would be rejecting the greatest gift that anyone had ever been given. Not that Ippo would've chosen another profession without Tree-sama's intervention anyways. The build-up to matches, the training, the companionship, the applause falling on you like rain: these were the aspects of being a boxer that you had to experience for yourself. Ippo couldn't imagine anyone having those things happen to them and then not continuing to box.

"Next. Makunochi."

"Yes!" Ippo stood up from the line of waiting students and entered the councilor's office.

"Going to stay at home and not go to college. Hmmm... Are you ok with this? With your grades you could get into any college you want." Ippo felt guilty at that statement. Last time he'd been 20th in his class - a very respectable position for a school with more than 200 students in the same year. This time around he hadn't studied very much at all. The questions and answers were exactly the same as before. Ippo had made a point to learn the material, and he still remembered it. This left more time to train, but it made him feel guilty about having an unfair advantage over his classmates due to Tree-sama.

"Well, I never intended to go to college."

"You're 7th in your class. You must've studied hard to achieve these scores and you say you never intended to go?"

"Yes."

"Your family runs a fishing business right?"

"Yes."

"And your father passed away a while ago. It's just been you and your mother running things?"

"Yes."

"Is your family in trouble?"

"What?"

"If your business is failing I could see about helping out."

"Uhm.."

"Lot's of people who are poor go to college. I'll help you find a part-time job to cover expenses."

"Eh?"

"It'd be a shame to waste all the effort you've put into your studies so far. Don't you want to continue your education?" Ippo was feeling guiltier with every sentence.

"Sir..uhm...I have plans already."

"Oh? Something apart from college?"

"Yes, I'm a professional boxer. I've already won my first four professional fights. My goal is to become the Japan Champion."

"Boxing? I'm sorry but that's a little hard to believe. I've seen you around school. Umezawa bullies you a lot doesn't he? Boxing doesn't seem to suit you."

"B-But it's true! And there's a difference between boxing and fighting..."

"Well, let's suppose it's true. You could still box and go to college at the same time."

"But I couldn't help my mother. I can box and help with the family business, but I can't also go to college."

"Ok. If you're this determined then as your sensei I'll support you. If you reconsider, even a year from now won't be too late."

"Thank you sir!" Ippo got up to leave, but something had been clawing at the back of his mind and the councilor was an intelligent man. "Sensei? I did have a concern about boxing that I wonder if you might listen to."

"Oh?"

"In my last fight I wound up sending my opponent to the hospital. I've been worried about him. But I'm also worried about hurting people in the future."

"Boxing is a violent sport, so I'm not surprised to hear of such a thing. Let me ask you this, are you afraid of being hospitalized from a fight?" Ippo though about his match with Volg. He'd won, but had wound up in pretty bad shape afterwards. That fight had hospitalized him, but he didn't regret it. Even if he'd lost, the opportunity to fight with Volg would had been amazing. Ippo knew that he'd do it again in a heartbeat...well after enough training.

"No."

"Then extend that same courtesy to your opponent. You're aware of the risks, and I'm sure he was too."

"But Kobashi-san is..."

"I'm not saying don't feel sad for him, but that's part of boxing correct? If you're afraid of hurting people then college would be a better choice. If you're determined to be a boxer then you must accept every aspect of it."

Ippo nodded. Being injured was a part of boxing. He didn't want to hurt his opponents, but he still wanted to fight them. His sensei was right, this was just a part of the path he'd chosen for himself. "I understand. Thank you sensei."

* * *

"Kobashi-san? You have a visitor."

Kobashi Kenta looked up. He'd been in the hospital for a week they'd told him, but Kenta had only been conscious for a few days of that time. He remembered fighting with Makunochi, and then waking up in the hospital bed with his coach and mother beside him. So far his stay had been rather boring. It was depressing to have to stay in bed all day and think about what he could've done differently in the match. What was worse was the thought that he couldn't have done anything at all to win.

"K-Kobashi-san...Uhm...Hello." The person that entered the room behind the nurse was Makunochi Ippo. The other boxer looked like he did when they had met outside the Kamogawa Gym. Kenta still had some trouble wrapping his head around that the person standing before him and the one he'd encountered in the ring were the same.

"Makunochi-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing better they tell me. I'm not going to be released for another week, and even then I may not be able to box again."

"Oh..."

"..."

"But don't feel bad! I mean...you don't have to come and checkup on an opponent you beat right?"

"That's not it! I heard from a nurse that your condition was good, and it's pointless to apologize right? But I just couldn't not visit you."

"Yeah, apologizing for winning isn't something a boxer does." Kobashi smiled ruefully. "I am grateful for the company though. I keep thinking about our match. I had considered Hayami to be the greatest challenge to overcome in the tournament, but I think you'll be able to beat him easily."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah...You're step-in was fast. Faster than I'd anticipated. They're calling you the person with the best punch in the tournament you know? I don't know how good Hayami is at taking damage, but one punch from you could stop anyone I think."

"No, there are still a lot of boxers out there that can take my punch. There are boxers out there with a stronger attack than me too." Ippo cringed a little. He must have done research on some other boxers. Perhaps the West Rookie tournament contestants?

"Well, if there are then I don't want to meet them." Kobashi chuckled a little. "But man, that punch of yours surprised me. Attacking with that kind of power in a clinch... I just wonder how the fight would've gone if I had known."

"Huh?"

"Well, you used it in your 2nd match didn't you? I watched all your tapes, but I dis-regarded that part of the fight. Your opponent wasn't doing a strategic clinch, it was just a desperate grab of someone who was trying to hold on to consciousness. So when he fell I thought that it was just that. I didn't realize that the punch you'd hit him with was live."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I did use it then."

"So if I had known about it before hand... I don't know. I always relied on clinches to control the fight and take away my opponent's weapons. Having my clinch removed would cripple my style."

"..."

"uhm... Kobashi-san? Are you going to keep on boxing? I just have this thought that you understand how great it feels, even with all the hard work and pain."

"Yeah... I know what you mean, but as it is right now, even if I fully recover, I don't think my style can win."

"..." Ippo looked depressed. Somehow Kenta wanted to cheer him up. Outside of the ring he was too timid to make him worry.

"So I'll just have to modify it some, right Makunochi-kun?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Ippo had watched Hayami's videos with the coach. His sensei had come to the same conclusion as the first time: dodge Hayami's Shotgun and then attack when he was tired. The out-boxer's short uppercut made charging in dangerous. Ippo knew that Hayami wouldn't tire out in only 4 rounds, but knowing it and being able to tell Kamogawa that were two different things. So they had focused training on dodging the Shotgun.

Hayami's Shotgun got it's name because he threw an overwhelming number of fast punches in a seemingly random pattern. Dodging a jab or a one-two was as simple as doing a head slip. Dodging a continuous barrage of punches needed a better head-slip. Ippo wanted to get a head slip like Takamura's. A dodge with a large motion not only cost more energy to perform, but it also made the next dodge harder since you were out of position. If you went too far one direction, and the next punch came before your dodge was complete, then your next dodge would be even more unwieldy. The one saving grace was that Hayami only threw straights or jabs with his Shotgun. If he incorporated hooks, body blows, or uppercuts it'd be much more difficult of an attack to avoid.

Ippo still practiced with the slip bag every day. He'd gone ahead and set one up in his room at home so he could do some practicing before school. Prepping the boat got him sufficiently warmed up, so it worked out pretty nicely for him. At the gym's practice ring Kamogawa-sensei had strung up a rope between two corners. Ippo had practiced weaving underneath the rope while moving forward and back. It was similar to the training he had started for his match with Ozuma-san, though the rope was much more forgiving than the bars at the park. Kamogawa-sensei had also had him practice dodging rocks again. The random pattern of the rocks in flight matched the Shotgun fairly accurately. Some you'd have to slip your head past. Some were off center and could easily be deflected with your gloves. A few missed on their own completely, but if you had dodged in that direction the attack would've intercepted you. For most boxers throwing away a punch like that on the off-chance that your opponent dodged a previous punch and wound up in the next one's path would be wasteful to say the least. Hayami's sheer number of attacks made it a viable threat for him.

Ippo went and saw Hayami's quarter final match. As expected the out-boxer won and progressed up the bracket. His opponent had tried to wait out Hayami's punches like the coach had suggested. Hayami was capable of continuously attacking for 4 rounds though. Such a strategy might work in a 6 or 8 round match, but Hayami was simply to good to fall for it in such a short amount of time. Last time Ippo had practiced trying to counter the short upper. That one punch was what gave Hayami such an advantage over infighters. Even though Ippo knew the punch was coming, a simultaneous exchange was the best he could accomplish. Sendou was the only opponent that he'd been able to successfully perform a counter against, and that was because in terms of speed he and the Naniwa Tiger were equal. As the coach had pointed out, a simultaneous exchange tended to favor Ippo so aiming for one was a viable strategy.

* * *

Miyata had stopped by the Kamogawa Gym during his roadwork. His former senpai had become the Middle Class Champion. Even though the praise would go to his head, Takamura deserved it this time. Hanging out with his old gym-mates was fun. They talked about the last matches that everyone had. Aoki's especially was mentioned. His match had come immediately after Hayami's, but the audience had decreased by 90% between the two fights. Hayami had quite the following of young girls, and they had only been interested in watching his fight. This was used to mock Aoki considerably.

"Miyata-kun!" Ah, Ippo had arrived. Miyata had hoped he'd run into his rival while he was there. Soon the two of them would meet in the finals. "Did you come to congratulate Takamura?"

"Yep."

"We were also talking about your next opponent Ippo." Takamura nudged Miyata with his elbow. "Hayami's pretty popular with the girls. Miyata here might lose some his fans eh?"

Ippo's eyes lit up and it looked like he wanted so say something, but then he let out a sigh. "We both have some tough opponents this round don't we?"

"Hayami might be tough for you, but for every punch the threw at me I'd counter it." Ippo seemed to take that statement very seriously. Miyata wondered what the in-fighter was thinking. "You've fought some tough opponents so far right? I mean that Jason guy was pretty strong. If you beat him you can beat Hayami. Remember I'll be waiting for you in the finals."

"Yeah, Ozuma-san was really tough. I wonder how'd he do against Kobashi-san or Hayami-san..." His rival seemed distracted and not at all confident. Hayami should be an easy match for him. The difference in their strength and durability was just too far apart.

"Don't make such a sour face. Say something like 'I'll win no matter what.' I'm going to beat Mashiba and your going to beat Hayami and then we'll fight. I abandoned this gym just so we could, so don't disappoint me." Ippo's out of ring personality was just too lacking in confidence no matter how you looked at it. Miyata turned to leave.

"Miyata-kun wait."

"What?"

"About Mashiba-san, if he gets desperate he'll probably foul you."

"So? Anticipating and avoiding fouls is the way some matches are."

"Well, I mean, if he can't hit you then he might do something like step on your foot during the second round when you try to avoid his chopping right." That was an oddly specific warning... Miyata didn't know what to make of it. Ippo looked serious. It didn't matter. Miyata knew Mashiba had a reputation for being a dirty fighter. A warning that he might try to foul was stating the obvious.

"Just worry about your own match." Miyata waved goodbye. He still had his road work to finish. Maintaining his weight was becoming harder and harder.

* * *

"Both fighters will enter the ring."

"The East Japan Rookie King Tournament Semi-Finals are starting now! This is the Featherweight class that's gained so much attention!"

"First to enter, in the red ring weighing 124 pounds: Hayami Ryuuichi!"

Hayami was carried to the ring on the back of one of his seconds. When he entered the ring he raised his fist, then did his signature flurry with his hands. The crowd responded - they loved him. Hayami knew that most of the crowd liked him, and the rest hated him. Polarizing the audience was a spark that could raise boxing as a sport in Japan and he was going to do everything possible to cultivate that love and hate. The same casual arrogance that excited his fans - such as being carried into the ring - would enrage everyone else. If he won them over with a display of pure talent and skill they'd come to love him all the more because of their current intense feelings. There would always be people that hated him though, it was part of the reason for his showmanship. If he forced himself into a situation with taunting interviews beforehand and with such pompous displays, then he'd have to follow through. There was no way he could live down a defeat, so he'd have to be the winner.

"In the blue corner, weighing 125 and a half pounds: Makunochi Ippo has entered the ring!"

"Makunochi is the strongest hitter in the tournament and Hayami is the fastest! Who will win this showdown of strength verses speed?!"

The crowd gasped when the towel that was over Makunochi's head was removed. The right half of his face was clearly bruised. There was no swelling, and the discoloration wasn't that bad, but he must have been sparring without head gear right up to the match. Hayami looked dismissively at his opponent. 'The man with the strongest punch.' That was the title Ippo had received in this tournament. He was only an in-fighter though. Hayami watched his last match, and Makunochi had dominated a weak opponent. It was easy to win against those without talent if you had pure strength. At the end of the day Ippo was still an in-fighter, and would pose no threat. Hayami was much more worried about the final match. Miyata was nearly as quick as him and had an amazing sense for timing counters. Mashiba was freakishly tall for a feather weight. His flicker jab with such a long reach could also prove to be a problem. Makunochi would just be a stepping stone. If he came in, Hayami would deal with him like every other in-fighter.

"We'll present you the profiles for both fighters. Red corner Hayami: He was the inter-high champion for three straight years. Considered a prodigy by boxing experts around the nation. 4 matches and 4 KOs since becoming a pro! He has been undefeated since being an amateur. Many believe he will be the future leader in Japan's boxing world! Before the match he predicted a win via KO! Against in-fighters he has a 100% KO record!"

Some fans had handed him several bouquets of flowers while the announcers praised him. Hayami decided he'd hand them to the crowd after his victory. Perhaps he'd give one to Makunochi, that'd rile up the fans even more.

"Blue corner Makunochi: He also has 4 matches and 4 KOs. His punches pack incredible power. In terms of raw strength he's the best in this tournament! If he can hit the match will become interesting! His job at home is helping his mother fish. He has continued to box while going to school and working! I used to be picked on, but ever since I picked up boxing my life has changed! He said that he'd put his best effort into tonight's match!"

What kind of a comment was that? Was Ippo that simple? A personality like his could never rally the public behind boxers. You had to be boastful and strong like Muhammad Ali!

*ding*ding*ding*

"The bell has rung! Will the one to advance to the finals be the favorite Hayami, or the hard-punching Makunochi?!"

Hayami looked across the ring to his opponent. Ippo was slightly swaying side to side, but didn't seem to want to initiate anything. The two boxers stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Hayami saw the round clock out of the corner of his eye, only 15 seconds had passed, but that was too long. The crowd didn't like it when there wasn't any action. Time for 1st gear. Jab. Jab. One-two. Jab. One-two. He started with a simple offense. Makunochi wove between his punches, and then jabbed back at him. For an in-fighter his jab was surprisingly quick, but not quick enough. Hayami circled slightly to the left to avoid the attack and then launched a flurry of his own. Ippo avoided all of his punches again.

2nd gear. It'd wouldn't have been interesting to take him out so early, and avoiding his 1st gear punches wasn't too hard. Jabs, straights, and one-two's flowed together, but none connected with Makunochi. The smaller fighter was able to avoid the punches, but there wasn't an opening for him to retaliate in. The one-sided barrage continued for several seconds. Hayami started feeling the flow, the rush of adrenaline that only came from an actual fight. No amount of warming up beforehand could duplicate the thrill of the real thing.

3rd gear. Hayami could maintain this level for close to 6 rounds. This was when the Shotgun came into play. Throwing punches at this rate really did a number on his accuracy, and only straight forward punches like jabs, one-twos and straights could be used. A punch that wasn't in a straight line would be too slow to keep pace. One clean hit, then another. Ippo was being forced back to the ropes, at this rate he'd be cornered soon and then his ability to dodge would be cut in half. As Makunochi's back touched the ropes he suddenly surged forward with a wide hook aimed at the head. Five punches landed while the slow, but powerful blow was incoming. Hayami got his guard up just in time as the jabs didn't stop Ippo. The power of the hit send him staggering back. Strong puncher indeed. Makunochi stepped in after him. With a sway to the side, and a block of another jab the two fighters were now at close range. Ippo was crouched low after his forward dodging - completely vulnerable for half a second to an upper cut. Hayami let fly his short left upper. It'd knock Makunochi's head up and then the Shotgun would finish things.

*whoosh*

He'd missed? No. Ippo had dodged. Somehow even with all of his weight forward on his left foot after dashing in, he'd shifted far to the right and back. The upper missed completely. Hayami was caught off guard. Who could dodge like that? Ippo fired off another right hook at his face. Hayami was off balance from his missed uppercut and couldn't avoid the blow, but he did manage to get his guard up in time. The hit stung his hand and knocked him to the right. His vision blurred slightly for a split second. A left hook followed, but Hayami swayed back and it missed him by an inch. The two fighters were throwing jabs and one-twos at each other. Hayami's shock had worn off though, and even at this range he could avoid Makunochi's jabs. Weaving around the head-shots he returned fire. His punches connected cleanly, but they didn't seem to slow the infighter down.

4th gear. It was time to go all out. Ippo had managed to make this an in-fight, but Hayami still had the upper hand so far. For every punch Ippo got off Hayami threw 4 more. More than half connected and in a matter of seconds the flow of the fight had reversed again. One step, two steps, soon Makunochi was back at long range. I was time to finish things. The full-power Shotgun backed the other boxer against the ropes and then began to pulverize him. Ippo had crouched down and covered his face and body with his arms. It was like attacking a turtle that had gone into it's shell. Hayami could only maintain 4th gear for a few minutes, now that he was in it he'd have to end this fight soon. One clean hit, the another. The tide broke, Ippo's guard fell and the small fighter followed soon after. Hayami guessed it must have been around 10 punches that had landed cleanly, but now things were done. Casually he walked to the corner the ref pointed to. Resting his arms on the ropes he waved to his fans. The fight was over.

"7...8..."

Makunochi had stood up. He was breathing hard, but he resumed his fighting stance and glared across the ring at him. Some people didn't know when to stay down. Ippo couldn't mount an offense in the condition he was in. A little bit more of the Shotgun and he'd go down again.

*ding*ding*ding*

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Ippo sat in the corner while Kamogawa-sensei alternated between yelling at him and icing down his face.

"I got in..*heh*..I dodged his upper..*heh*..but he was just too fast."

"I'm not talking about that brat. Why did you only throw head shots? For fast fighters you use small, quick body blows. Seal their legs first. When you dodged that upper it was the perfect chance. You also never followed through on your combo! A body blow after a one-two! What are you thinking?!"

"I...I dunno."

"It's about the last fight isn't it? Look, do you think you can win if you hold back?"

"No, Hayami's too strong if I don't go all out."

"Then do what you practiced! If you don't respect your opponent enough to fight them at full strength I have no use for you!"

Ippo was shocked. Kamogawa-sensei was angry, and he had every right. Ippo had been worried about sending someone else to the hospital, but not going into the fight with everything he had was arrogant. It was insulting to Hayami, and to the boxers he'd beaten to get this far. How could he face Ozuma or Kobashi if he didn't do his best. How could he face Miyata? They were going to fight in the finals this time. He wouldn't lose.

"I understand Coach! I'm ready!"

"Good! Now go get him!"

*ding*ding*ding*

Ippo moved towards Hayami. The fastest fighter in the tournament met him in the middle of the ring. Hayami wasted no time with using the Shotgun. The punches came one after another. It seemed that Hayami must have more than two arms to throw so many. Ippo was use to them now. Even at this speed he could avoid most, and the ones that hit didn't hurt. Jason's punches were much stronger. Sendou's punches made these look pathetic. Date's corkscrew blow was leagues above. Punches like these couldn't hurt him! Ippo swayed left and right, avoiding the blows with as little movement as possible. Several still glanced him, but soon he was at close range again. Hayami's short upper followed. Apparently, he didn't think Ippo was capable of dodging it again. A shift to the right and the upper missed it's target.

*Thunk!*

Ippo's left buried itself in Hayami's gut. The out-boxer tried to stager back, but Ippo followed after him. The one-two was dodged, but the liver blow that followed hit cleanly. Ippo reversed his rotation and threw a right over-hand. Hayami dodged to the left and then let lose with another flurry of blows that drove Ippo back. Breathing heavily Ippo was now in the center of the ring and Hayami was against the ropes. He could use those to increase his sway back. Hitting his head would be difficult.

Ippo dashed in. Again he slipped through the shower of punches. Once he was at close range again he unleashed a series of short, quick, compact body blows. Hayami couldn't dodge. After the 4th the out-boxer crumbled. Ippo went to the corner while the referee counted. At first he was going to look at Hayami's stomach to see if there was any bruising, but Ippo decided it didn't matter. If Hayami was injured then that was that. There was nothing that could be done about it. Instead Ippo tried to take as deep of breaths as possible. If the match continued then he'd need all the oxygen he could get.

"8"

Hayami was on his knees.

"9"

With great effort he put one foot on the mat and began to raise himself up.

"10"

The referee waved his hands. The match was over. Hayami's second rushed out and helped him to his feet. Ippo was glad. He'd given it his all and won. Half the crowd was cheering madly for him, the other half looked like they were in shock. Ippo politely bowed to everyone before making his way out the ring.

K.O. Time 2nd Round: 41 seconds

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament - Semi-Final

Macunochi Ippo Victory

5-0-0 5 K.O.s


	8. Rookie King Tournament - Part 4

Rookie King Tournament - Part 4

Once again Coach Kamogawa had told Ippo to take the day off and rest. The day after a match was the hardest time to relax though. Ippo kept on reliving his match with Hayami over and over. Thinking about it made him want to box with Hayami again. The thrill of dodging all those punches, and the exhalation of winning - the rewards for the match made all the training well worth it. The next match would be the finals against Miyata-kun! The first time Mashiba had fought with Miyata, Ippo's rival would have won if the other fighter hadn't fouled him. If Miyata listened to his warning and avoided getting his foot injured, then Mashiba wouldn't stand a chance. Ippo was too excited to sit at home. His body was overflowing with energy so there was no way he could just relax. Against orders he'd wound up doing his entire morning run. Afterwards he made his way to the Yamanaka bakery. He could get an early lunch and see how Kumi was doing.

"Hello Ippo-san!"

"Hello Kumi-san!" It was nice to be on a first name basis with her. Getting bread was turning into the best 5 minutes of his day. Ippo was still nervous and found it hard to talk to Kumi, but she made it so easy.

"Eh? Ippo-san's face is more bandaged than usual."

"Oh, yeah. I had a match last night."

"How'd you do?"

"I managed to win." It was hard to talk about his fights. Ippo always felt like he was trying to boast.

"I knew it! You looked so happy that something good must have happened."

"Yeah, it was a great match. I wish I could fight my opponent again."

"Really? Is boxing fun?" Kumi's bright smile had been replaced with a sad expression.

"It's hard to describe. There's a lot of hard work and pain. You don't get paid much as a 4-rounder, but the thrill of fighting strong opponents and being in the center of the ring with everyone cheering for you..."

"I guess that does sound nice."

"Are you worried about your brother?"

"Yeah. He works so hard, and the thought of him getting hurt in the ring is too much." At that moment Kumi looked so fragile and vulnerable. Ippo wished he could say something to make her feel better, but everything he could think of sounded hollow to him. Assuring her that her brother would win felt wrong. If he did manage to beat Miyata-kun somehow then Ippo would have to fight him. What would Kumi think of him after that?

"I've seen your brother's matches. He's an amazing boxer. I'm sure he'll be fine." Kumi only nodded while she rang up his order.

* * *

It was the day of the other semi-final match. Ippo had come with Takamura to watch Miyata fight. Ippo had seen Kumi in line outside Korakuen Hall. She was obviously here to watch her brother fight. Since Ippo was going to be rooting for Miyata-kun, talking to her seemed odd. Takamura was also with him, so all in all it was probably best to just focus on the fight. While Ippo was distracted Fuji-san came up to them. The reporter was here for the semi-final match as well, so the three of them bought adjacent tickets.

"In the Red corner: weighing 125 pounds, Kawabara Gym's Miyata Ichiroooou!"

"In the Blue corner: weighing 125 and a half pounds, Touhou Gym's Mashiba Ryooooou!"

The match was about to start. Ippo was on the edge of his seat. Other things had changed, so why not this? Miyata was the better fighter, so with a second chance he'd win.

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rang as the match started. The two boxers dashed out of their corners and met in the middle of the ring. They exchanged blows and then were back at range. Mashiba threw a normal jab that Miyata swayed past. The out-boxer retaliated with a right straight of his own. Mashiba blocked and the two traded blows for a few seconds. Neither scored a hit until Miyata connected with a counter against a chopping-right. The punch didn't slow the taller fighter down as Mashiba immediately followed up with a powerful left hook. Miyata dodged backwards and the two boxers were at range again.

Miytata and Mashiba stared at each other for a few seconds before Mashiba lowered his left guard. Holding his left forearm parallel to the ground he began to move it back and forth in a sawing motion. It was the hitman stance, forsaking the forward guard in exchange for the ability to throw flicker jabs quickly from an unusual angle. The sawing motion also distracted opponents - a movement that helped hide the start of a jab. A second later Mashiba threw a flicker. Miyata swayed back, but under-estimated his opponent's reach - the flicker connected cleanly. From a seemingly impossible range Mashiba whipped his fist towards Miyata's head. Flicker followed flicker, but Miyata managed to dodge to the side to avoid them until he moved out of the greater reach of Mashiba.

Once again the two boxers stared at one another before continuing the fight. This time the previous stand-off was broken in the opposite way. Miyata lowered his right guard and assumed a southpaw-hitman stance. Mashiba inched forward before letting another flicker jab fly. Miyata didn't try to dodge the punch, instead he leaned forward causing the jab to hit his shoulder instead. Miyata quickly rushed in along the out-stretched arm of the taller boxer. Mashiba was surprised and began to throw a right, but Miyata was much quicker. His left straight caught his opponent off-guard and off-balance. A perfect counter.

"Down! Go to a neutral corner!"

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7.."

"Uoooooooooh!" Mashiba howled as he forced himself to his feet. Supporting himself on the ropes, he managed to stand.

"Can you continue?" The referee asked, and got a fighting pose and a nod in return. "Alright, Fi-" Before he could even finish the sentence Miyata rushed past him. The outboxer had his left arm cocked for another straight, one that would end the match.

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rang and Miyata pulled his punch inches from Mashiba's face. He then turned and calmly walked back to his corner.

* * *

"Alright Ichirou! It's too bad though...if the bell had sounded a few seconds later."

"Yeah. It was a clean hit though, so he'll still be damaged in the next round. I'll finish it." Miyata was disappointed that he hadn't been able to get a knockout in the first round. If he had then he would've been one up on Makunochi since he got his semi-final K.O. in the second round. The next round was when Ippo had warned about getting his foot stepped on. Miyata had dismissed the warning at first, but Mashiba's reach had been longer than he'd anticipated. The round had ended sooner than he'd though it would in his mind's eye.

"Be careful when charging in headlong. You don't know what he has left, and he'll be desperate."

"Ok!"

"Second's out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

As soon as the bell rung Miyata was rushed by Mashiba. The taller fighter trapped him in the corner with a furious series of rights and lefts. Mashiba still had damage though, there was no way he was capable of winning a hitting match at the moment. Miyata dodged a right, threw one of his own, and then ducked a left. A short right upper came in too fast and it managed to clip his head. The left straight that followed was stopped by a turtle stance. Miyata didn't intend to stay on the defensive though. Another right followed, but this time Miyata dodged underneath it and connected with a right body-blow of his own, then a left. Mashiba lowered his guard to try and defend, so Miyata threw a left hook next. It almost knocked Mashiba off his feet again.

Miyata wouldn't let his opponent recover. He dashed forward, dodging another punch and connecting with yet another left to the body. Mashiba retaliated with a right hook, but the damage was showing. It was coming in too wide and slow. Miyata blocked the punch and then unleashed a flurry of his own. Mashiba was against the ropes and couldn't dodge. At close range his punches were too slow and his defense was failing. Miyata's punches were all connecting cleanly, but he saw a gleam in Mashiba's eyes - the fight wasn't over yet. The cornered boxer let loose with wild swings. They were too wide, too slow, Mashiba couldn't hit him like this. Miyata was about to hit with another perfect counter when Ippo's warning came to him. It was the second round, Mashiba wasn't able to connect...his feet!

Mashiba's right haymaker was coming in, but Miyata glanced down. His left foot was about to be stepped on! Miyata quickly shifted his foot to the inside. This stopped his counter, but let him avoid Mashiba by ducking into short range where the taller fighter was at a severe penalty. Miyata was inside Mashiba's reach again. The training he'd done to be able to in-fight against Ippo was paying off. He could still finish things this close, but Mashiba woul...

*THUMP!*

A pain exploded in the back of his head. The world was swimming. Vaguely he saw Mashiba throwing a left hook, but his body wouldn't move. The punch connected and then he was against the ropes, taking flicker after flicker...

"5!" Someone was yelling at him. Across the mat he could see his father. Why was he so high up?

"6!" His dad wasn't any higher, he was on the mat. Miyata tried to move, but his body wouldn't listen to him.

"7!" Somehow he'd been knocked down. He had to get up! All the training he'd done: learning to in-fight, a counter to clinches - all of it would be wasted if he remained on the ground.

"8!" Miyata raised himself to one knee. It took more effort than he had imagined possible, but he'd promised Makunochi that they'd meet in the finals.

"9!" Ippo had already qualified. He was waiting at the top. Miyata couldn't let him down. They WOULD have their match!

"Aaarrrggghhhh!" Miyata uttered a primal scream which interrupted the referee's count and helped him stagger back to his feet. The world was still spinning. Keeping his balance took everything he had.

"Can you fight?" Nodding would only make his balance worse. It might even make him fall. So Miyata just took his fighting position and glared across the ring at his opponent.

* * *

"That cheating bastard Mashiba! What's wrong with that referee?"

"What happened? Miyata-kun was winning, and suddenly he just started taking punches." Ippo was confused, it was the same part of the fight where Mashiba's cheating had turned the tide by stepping on Miyata's foot and robbing him of his mobility.

"I'm not surprised someone like Ippo-kun doesn't know about that type of punch." Fuji-san was scowling, but he wasn't as riled up as Takamura was. "It's an illegal blow called a 'Rabbit Punch'. Basically when Miyata-kun was inside his reach, instead of pulling his arm back he just punched the back of Miyata's head."

"What?!"

"Yeah, that type of hit can really get you. It's right to the base of the skull where the spine and the brain meet. Hitting somewhere like that is really dangerous. It illegal because of how deadly it can be." Takamura grimly stated.

"Just one usually results in a concussion. I hope Miyata-kun is ok." Fuji-san's comment didn't make Ippo feel any better.

The rest of the match seemed to go by in a blur. It lasted forever, but was also over before Ippo knew it. Miyata had avoided one foul, only to be hit by another. He'd put up a good fight against Mashiba, but in the end his footwork was gone and his counters didn't have any strength behind them. Ippo felt numb. Before he'd been burning with a righteous anger against Mashiba. This time Ippo didn't feel anything. The results of the second match between them didn't seem real.

"I..I..I'm going to the locker room to check on him!" Ippo wasted no time after that, he pushed through the crowds of people until he got backstage. At Miyata's locker-room there were several reporters gathered around trying to get an update on the boxer's condition. Miyata's father was talking to them. Soon they dispersed and Ippo walked up.

"Makunochi..."

"Uh..Uhm..Miyata-kun..."

"...Ichirou...He gave me a message for you, if I saw you."

"He did?"

"A request...'Forgive me.'...he said."

* * *

The coach had increased his training regime. Ippo was focusing on strengthening his neck and legs. With Mashiba as his opponent, the fight would be decided at what range it was conducted at. Ippo was small, even for a feather weight. Mashiba on the other hand was almost as tall as Takamura. The reach difference between them was huge. Ippo still remembered their first match. In the boxing ring, Mashiba's reach was amazingly difficult to overcome. Kamogawa-sensei had told Ippo to start wearing his leg weights for all his roadwork. The extra mass was proving to be far more effective when worn running than when Ippo used it while working on the fishing boat. While his legs were sore every night, his step-in was improving.

Training also let him get his mind off of things. He'd failed in his goal to fight with Miyata, but somehow that didn't seem as tragic this time around. He'd have another chance, they'd both be competing for the Japanese title. Even if they didn't meet up after his fight with Date, Tree-sama might give him another chance. If Tree-sama had sent him back so he could fight with Date, then he might do the same with Miyata. There was a difference in their situations though. Date would never fight in Japan again after their match. His goal was the world, and Ippo felt that their fight had been the only chance he'd get to face off against the older boxer. On the other hand, Miyata would continue to box. The two of them were fated to have a match - of this Ippo was certain. Even if Miyata went overseas again to box in other countries, he'd be back one day. That though comforted Ippo. In truth, sparring with Miyata when he'd first come back had helped relieve the anticipation he'd felt after the two of them had failed to meet in the tournament finals the first time.

Miyata's words haunted him. 'Forgive me.' They were the same words that Miyata had said when he'd lost the first time. If Ippo didn't know better, he'd think that Miyata wanted to fight him as much he wanted a fight with the older boxer. His rival was too cool for that though. If Ippo had failed to make it to the finals and Miyata had, then there wouldn't have been anything that could console him. Miyata was still his cool and calm self even after his loss. In hindsight it was foolish to think that warning Miyata about one foul would alter the outcome. Mashiba could throw more fouls than Ippo knew existed. Miyata was the better fighter, but he didn't have enough experience against dirty moves to win right now. Mashiba would stop at nothing and would break the rules as much as he needed to win.

Ippo still didn't like Mashiba. Kumi's brother wasn't a nice person. It was depressing that he'd have to fight him when things were progressing so well with Kumi. At least this time he wouldn't stick his foot in his mouth around her, but he still felt like the 'Protagonist of Grief'. Ippo was glad he wouldn't be mocked by his gym-mates this time either, at least as long as he didn't volunteer information to Takamura. Beating up her brother didn't seem like it would help their relationship, but there wasn't another option. Perhaps this time he'd be able to win without sacrificing his right fist, or destroying Mashiba's left elbow.

While Mashiba was terrible at close range due to his height, he did possess a dangerous defensive technique. His elbow block was a surprise for anyone who tried to attack his body. Hitting his elbow with your fist caused your power to rebound back to you. While Ippo was more than willing to break his fist if it came down to it, there had to be a better method to fight him with. Body blows wouldn't work - they'd be elbow blocked. Hooks and uppercuts wouldn't work - Mashiba's head was too far away to effectively land such blows. All that left were jabs and straights, those could reach at least, but they lacked the power that weight-shifting provided his usual punches.

Perhaps a new punch? Sendou had the smash, a combination hook/uppercut - a punch like that would work wonders, but Ippo didn't think he could master such an attack without much more time than he had available. A higher body-blow or a lower hook? A punch that was aimed at the chest couldn't be blocked by an elbow, but would it be effective? Body blows got in underneath the rib cage, so they damaged the body directly. If a punch hit the chest, then it's power would be reduced by the body's internal structure. Date could throw a strong enough punch with pin-point precision that it stopped the heart for a second. His finishing blow came after that and was aimed at the head. Ippo didn't think he could throw a punch that precisely. If he couldn't attack the body, chest, or head what was left? Mashiba's arms? Punching the elbow would be counter-productive, but aiming for the taller boxer's bicep might work. Such a punch couldn't knock someone out, but it would reduce his ability in the ring.

The more Ippo thought of his plan, the better he felt. Step 1: Get inside. Kamogawa-sensei's training would make that possible. Step 2: Attack his biceps. It wouldn't help in knocking Mashiba out, but damaging his arms would reduce both his offensive and defensive power. Step 3: Attack his body. With Mashiba's arms weakened, Ippo hoped that he could get past his elbow blocks. Step 4: Attack the head. Once Mashiba's body was hurt enough that he bent at the waist, his head would be close enough for an uppercut to land.

Now if he could only come up with a plan for talking to Kumi.

* * *

Kumi stood at the counter of the Yamanaka bakery. It had been a slow night, and it was getting close to closing time. She had gone to see one of her brother's matches, but it had been awful. The two people in the ring, hurting each other like that. Who could enjoy such a spectacle. Didn't they know the kind of strain they were putting on their bodies? When her brother had finally won, after being hurt so much that she couldn't stand to watch, the crowd had booed him and made cat-calls. Why did they treat him like a villain? Didn't they see how much he was suffering?

Kumi wasn't un-observant. Most people were uncomfortable around Ryou-nii-san. It wasn't as bad as he thought though. If people truly hated him then they wouldn't work with him, or train him. He was just gotten a little anti-social while trying to be strong. The spectators at the boxing match weren't like that though. They didn't know him, and yet they really hated him. The long hours that he worked, the longer hours that he trained, the hell he willingly put himself through to maintain his weight, if people knew the real person behind the boxer they'd cheer for him.

A tray full of bread suddenly entered her line of sight. A customer! She'd been so distracted that she hadn't noticed them enter. It was rude not to greet someone when they came into the store! Involuntarily she let lose a small gasp. "Ah! Sorry!" Looking up, she recognized who it was. "Ippo-san!"

"Uhm...Hi Kumi-san. H-How are you doing?" Oh it was horrible! She must've looked depressed or something. An un-cheerful cashier would drive away business.

"I'm ok. Sorry for not greeting you properly." There was something that Kumi felt she was forgetting. It was something that was related to both Ippo and her brother...

"I saw your brother's match. I guess we're going to fight each other in the finals..." That was it! Ippo-san was in the same tournament. She hadn't asked him how he was doing, so now she felt bad that he had to tell her that he was in the finals also... Wait. Ryou-nii-san and Ippo-san were going to fight?

"Your going to fight Ryou-nii-san?"

"Y-yeah...Sorry." Ippo looked really sad. It was upsetting that one of her...friends and her brother would be hurting each other so much. Even if it was considered a sport, doing such a thing was wrong!

"Oh..." Ippo seemed different from other people right now. The press had said such horrible things about her brother. No one seemed to think it was sad that he was fighting. They said it was exciting, a travesty, or other cruel things. "I'm sorry too Ippo-san."

"I still don't know why the two of you enjoy boxing so much, but I appreciate your feelings." Ippo was always so nice and honest. Now he and her dear brother would wind up fighting. Somedays it felt like she was a Heroine of Tragedy.

* * *

"In a talent-studded feather weight class, two boxers have risen up. They'll now fight for the number one spot of the East Japan Rookie King Tournament!"

"In the red corner: His personality and fighting style are definitely 'Hitman'. He conquered the B block with the power of his flicker. Weighing 126 pounds: Mashiba Ryou!"

"In the blue corner: He rose up from the A block, overcoming the favored Hayami Ryuuichi. The hard puncher. Weighing 125 and a half pounds: Makunochi Ippo!"

"The match is starting. Will the Hitman's flicker emerge victorious?! Or will Makunochi's Dynamite punch claim victory!? Predictions are 50-50, but this match will almost certainly end with a knockout!"

Ippo stared across the ring at Mashiba. The referee was giving them very implicit warnings to avoid fouls. It might have been Ippo's imagination, but the ref seemed to be looking towards Mashiba more often. It felt good to be in the ring. Just yesterday he'd still felt anxious about the match, but now all that remained was a combination of excitement and resolve. It'd be nice if things made this much sense outside of a match. Ippo was ready.

*ding*ding*ding*

Ippo and Mashiba slowly approached each other. Ippo wasn't certain about how close he could get before he was in range. The only way to figure that out was to experience the punches first hand. By habit, Ippo was now swaying his upper-body left and right, but no punches had come yet. To anyone else it would look like they were still too far away, but Ippo knew he was with-in Mashiba's reach. The taller boxer wasn't attacking him immediately, instead he wanted Ippo to get a false impression of just how far his punches could hit. Ippo inched forward.

*whap*

The flicker came flying out at an odd angle, and struck him cleanly on the forehead.

*whap*whap*whap*

Mashiba's flickers kept coming. The tall fighter's punches had power behind them, despite the fact that all he was doing was whipping his hand out. Ippo tried to sway, but the flicker's odd angles made judging their trajectory difficult. The smaller fighter lowered his head and kept up his swaying, but was driven back. Ippo stayed in his low crouch. He wasn't certain of Mashiba's reach just yet. Coming in after a flicker jab would be tough even if he was positioned optimally.

*whap*whap*

Mashiba suddenly resumed his attack. Ippo felt a small sense of satisfaction for not being lulled into misjudging his opponent's reach. Unfortunately, all his hits were connecting cleanly. Ippo remained crouched, so that the taller fighter could only target the top of his head. At his back, he felt the ropes. Mashiba had driven him halfway across the ring.

*whap*whap*whap*whap*

The assault continued, but Ippo withstood it. He had to keep his eyes on his opponent. The chance would come...now! Mashiba threw his chopping right, and Ippo dodged it by ducking to the left. In a split second he'd surged forward and was now in Mashiba's space. The hitman style had left the other fighter's left body undefended. Ippo threw a right body-blow with all his weight behind it. Mashiba's arm moved, lining up his elbow with his abdomen, but Ippo's punch went high.

*bamph*

With a dull thud his glove struck Mashiba's bicep. Ippo didn't relent.

*bamph*bamph*bamph*

Again and again he attacked Mashiba's left arm. If he could seal his arm, both the flicker and elbow block would stop.

"Arggggg"

Mashiba threw a powerful right that Ippo blocked, but the force of the punch put some distance between the two fighters. The pattern continued however. Ippo was becoming more familiar with the flickers and the damage to Mashiba's arm was beginning to show. Twice he brought the fight to close range. The first time Mashiba managed to land a short upper-cut against him. The blow bought Mashiba some distance and made Ippo take several more flickers to the face. The second time, just as Ippo was swinging he felt an explosion of pain as something hard collided with his head. Mashiba had lowered his head and put in the path that Ippo's would take with his weight-shifting.

*thud*

The blow stunned Ippo, but before Mashiba could capitalize the referee rushed between them.

"Warning! Head foul! Minus one point!." The referee looked at Ippo. "Doctor!"

The match was temporally suspended as the ring-side doctor took a look at Ippo's head. The headbutt had opened up a gash above his left eye. Ippo couldn't feel any blood because of his sweating, and it wasn't in his eye. The doctor nodded, and the referee had the match continue. Mashiba immediately began throwing flicker after flicker.

*whap*whap*

They were all aimed at Ippo's cut. Ippo tried to avoid them, but several landed.

*ding*ding*ding*

The round was over. Ippo made his way back to his corner.

"Let me see that kid." Kamogawa-sensei looked at injury. "Don't worry we'll get it patched up. The problem will be if Mashiba opens it again. He won't hesitate to aim for it."

"I *zeh* know. *zeh*zeh* I can't outlast him now. *zeh* I have to finish this quickly!" Ippo breathed hard. He still had plenty of strength left, but if they had a medical stop it wouldn't matter.

* * *

"You have to stay at range! If he get's close just clinch!"

Mashiba glared at his coach. Didn't he remember Makunochi's earlier fights? The short brat could attack while being clinched. The cut he'd gotten was above his eyebrow, so there wasn't much chance that it would effect his eye muscles. They wouldn't stop the fight unless it started bleeding so much it obscured his vision. On top of that, he'd gotten a warning for such a shallow cut! It couldn't be helped, with their height difference any head collision would be hard to mistake for an accident. Any sort of foul would be dangerous now, and he couldn't afford to lose!

It hadn't been a smart move, but that little bastard pissed him off so much. The plan was to capitalize on the supposed weak-spot of the hitman style. Makunochi was supposed to have thrown a right body-blow and crushed his fist in the process. Instead he was actively aiming for the left arm! The punches had hurt at first, but his arms was now numb below the shoulder. His second was trying to massage it and get the blood flowing again, but he didn't have much time. The flicker already put more strain on the arm than a regular punch, and his speed and precision were beginning to be affected. The head butt was necessary, and while it didn't have the most desired result, the opportunity was still there.

He still had plenty of stamina, but his arm was close to finished. He had to end the match quickly.

"Seconds out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

Makunochi would obviously go on the defensive now and try and protect his face. That would slow down his step-in. Mashiba's left arm was tingling from the massage he'd gotten and the blood flowing through the bruised tissue. It was distracting, but it wouldn't stop him. He assumed the hitman stance and began the sawing motion to obfuscate his jabs. Before he could throw the first one Makunochi dashed in. The smaller fighter was in his annoying peek-a-boo stance and was leading with his head! He was completely open to an attack. The flicker connected cleanly, but his aim was a little off. The patching the blue corner had done held. Then Makunochi was inside his reach.

This was bad. His arm couldn't take much more. Instead of a right hook, the smaller boxer threw a quick one-two. Both hits connected, and nearly caused Mashiba to fail to block the left body-blow that followed. He managed to get his elbow in the way, but if the smaller fighter was surprised or felt any pain he didn't show it. Getting hit on the bicep was bad, but the elbow was far more painful. Looking down at his opponent, he saw his right fist go moving up. A straight? Mashiba moved to block, but then the punch was coming downward. The overhead blow connected cleanly with his face. The surprise of taking a clean hit caused him to lose his footing.

"Down! Go to a neutral corner!"

"1! 2!" Mashiba could've stood sooner, but let the ref get to 8. While he was down he tried to collect his thoughts and gather his strength. What kind of punch was that? It didn't go in a straight line. A curved punch? An over-hand hook type of blow? It had caught him off-guard, but he was ready for it now. "7! 8!"

Mashiba stood and took his fighting stance, not bothering to acknowledge the referee. As soon as 'fight' was uttered, Makunochi charged at him again. Mashiba was ready for him this time. Instead of throwing a flicker and trying to keep him away, he let the little kid dash into his chopping right. That stopped the punk. The flickers that followed pushed him back. The next chopping right was blocked though. It was still effective, the cut was bleeding again. Mashiba tried to follow up with a long left hook, but his punch was wide and slow. It felt like his arm was tearing itself apart when he put all his weight behind it.

Makunochi ducked the punch and got inside again. How was his step-in so fast? Once inside he threw that one-two again. Again the jabs hit, and the left body blow struck his elbow. This time when the overhand punch came, Mashiba leaned back. Makunochi struck him in the guard he'd put in front of his chest. Unfortunately with his right hand blocking, gaining space was a problem. His left was too damaged, but that wasn't acceptable. The pain was intense, and something tore, but the left uppercut took Makunochi square in the jaw. His head came up, and a chopping right knocked it back down.

"Down!"

Mashiba grinned. A high-school kid like him didn't know the pain of working past the time that your body wanted to collapse. No way was he getting back up. Makunochi's blood dripped from his right glove. It made a satisfying sound as it hit the canvas. Mashiba couldn't hear it above the roar of the crowd, but he knew it was there. He could feel the slight movement the liquid made as it succumbed to gravity. This wasn't as good as beating that daddy's boy Miyata, but this made him the champion!

"6! Can you fight?" What? Makunochi had gotten up. Blood was flowing down the left side of his face, but his eyes were clear. The referee talked to him and looked at the cut, but then backed away. "Fight!"

The bloodied boxer once again dashed forward at full speed, disregarding his head injury. The chopping right missed. Makunochi swayed to the left, then he was inside. The left body blow came too quickly. The chopping right had left him vulnerable. Pain exploded in his stomach, but that couldn't stop him. The two of them exchanged punch after punch. All thoughts of defense were gone. Slowly the number of punches the Makunochi was connecting with grew. Each one felt like a baseball bat swung at his gut. Mashiba aimed at his opponent's head, but Makunochi targeted the stomach. Blow after blow landed, then Mashiba couldn't breath. His jaw felt like it exploded, and the next thing he knew he was on the ground.

The referee was announcing that Makunochi had won! Like hell! He'd finish the little punk off right now!

"M-Mashiba!" His second got between him and Makunochi. "It's over, lets go!"

"Shut...your stupid mouth!" Mashiba knocked him to the side. This wasn't over. Not yet! "There's no way I'd lose to him. This isn't over! Bring it on!" He took his stance. His gut hurt and his left arm didn't want to move, but he could still fight. Makunochi just stared blankly at him. "BRING IT ON!"

"Mashiba" His corner men were still trying to hold him back.

"Let go. Get your hands off of me!" Makunochi walked forward, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you for a good match." Blood from his cut dripped onto the mat between them. The left side of Ippo's face was covered with red. The cut had been opened up pretty badly. Shit. It was just too annoying. The brat wasn't just a high-school kid after all. He'd elected to attack rather than defend, even with that wound. Mashiba spun around and left, he had better things to do and his arm needed to get looked at.

* * *

Ippo was lined up with the other victors of the tournament for the award presentation. He still felt out of place. Mashiba hadn't shown up for his 2nd place trophy again. He was the only person without someone standing behind him. Then again, having Mashiba standing over him would've been worse, so perhaps it was a good thing he was by himself.

"...and continuing is the one who shined brightest! The most talented rookie award!"

"The most talented rookie award goes to: Feather class, Makunochi Ippo!"

Ippo shouldn't have been surprised. He'd won most talented before, but somehow the announcement caught him off-guard again. The thought that he out of all the weight classes was the 'most talented' was strange. He guessed they couldn't give it to someone who'd lost, no matter what the circumstances were. Otherwise Miyata-kun would easily have won. He was just so cool.

K.O. Time 2nd Round: 2 minutes, 22 seconds

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament Victor

Eastern Japan Rookie King Tournament Most Talented Rookie Award

Macunochi Ippo Victory

6-0-0 6 K.O.s


	9. Rookie King Tournament - Part 5

Rookie King Tournament - Part 5

Kumi was working her last day at the Yamanaka bakery. Mrs. Yamanaka had been very understanding about her wanting to go work at her brother's company. Her boss would be taking over her hours until she hired a replacement. Kumi would miss the bakery though. It was nice to come to work and be greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread. She would also miss the customers...well, really she'd miss Ippo-san. The two of them had known each other for nearly half a year now. It was the longest that she had been friends with a boy. Ryou tended to scare off all the guys that talked to her - Kumi had started suspecting he was doing it on purpose. Having someone to share a pleasant conversation in passing like Ippo-san was enjoyable. It had been painful to watch him and her brother fight, but at the end of the match the crowd had actually cheered for Ryou-nii-san. Her brother had also seemed happy after the match, or at least satisfied. Kumi had run into his boss and co-workers that night. They had definitely been impressed with Ryou-nii-san's performance in the ring, so when the boss offered her a job, she readily accepted. Being around during the day to help out her brother would be nice. Even if all she could offer him was a smile, at least she could try and bridge the gap between him and his co-workers. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt him to be a little more flexible would it?!

The bell rung as the door opened. "Welcome!" Kumi greeted the customer by reflex. "Oh! Ippo-san!" Ippo looked bashful as always. His face was covered in bandages...souvenirs from her brother. Ippo probably didn't want to talk to her any more. Ryou-nii-san and him had such a bloody match. It was upsetting to think about, and if Kumi was honest with herself avoiding Ippo was another reason she was leaving the bakery. Having him upset with her would be too much.

"Uhm...Hello Kumi-san. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"S-So did you watch the match?" Ippo had glanced down and was twiddling his fingers.

"Y-Yeah I did." Kumi diverted her gaze also. For several seconds the two of them stood in silence. Kumi could feel heat radiating from her face.

"..."

"I'm sorry!" She and Ippo both blurted out the same thing simultaneously. Eh? What did Ippo have to be sorry for?

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Again they spoke at the same time. Kumi knew that she was definitely blushing now.

"..."

"Kumi-san?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry that I wound up fighting your brother. I hope he's doing ok." When Kumi looked up, she saw Ippo bowing to her. The boxer's face was beet-red.

"N-Not at all! I'm sorry that Ryou-nii-san hurt Ippo-san so badly...I mean...not that badly, you did win...but it must have been painful..."

"N-No! I mean it was a great fight, but all things considered I came out of it pretty well. I didn't break my hands! I only have a bruise on my left." Were having your hands broken a common boxing injury? How horrible! No, wait, she told herself that she wouldn't obsess over details like that. She couldn't stop her older brother from fighting, so researching the injuries that he MIGHT wind up getting was needlessly aggravating.

"Oh I see. That's good...Uhm...Ippo-san?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm not going to be working here after today...so I guess we won't be talking again..."

"Actually...t-t-that's something I w-wanted to talk to Kumi-san about..."

"What is?" Ippo's face had returned to a normal color, but it was now quickly turning red again.

"W-W-Would K-Kumi-san l-l-like to..."

"..." Kumi smiled pleasantly. She wasn't sure what Ippo was trying to ask her, but doing anything with him would be fun.

"PLEASE GO ON A DATE WITH ME!" Ippo nearly shouted the request. A date? With Ippo? That sounded wonderful.

"A date with Ippo-san sounds wonderful!" Kumi had never been on a date before. Ryou-nii-san was just so anti-social that any boy that walked her home avoided her afterwards, but her brother and Ippo already knew each other. Ryou-nii-san had even nailed a picture of Ippo to the wall for motivation. Sure, the nail went through picture-Ippo's head, but she could tell that her brother would get along well with him.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"T-Then how about I meet you after morning classes on Saturday and we go to the shopping district?"

"Sure! That sounds like fun!"

"Great! I'll see you then!" Ippo smiled and waved goodbye to her as he exited the store. Kumi had a feeling he'd forgotten something... Then the door swung open again.

"Welcome!" Kumi greeted the new customer with enthusiasm. She was a good mood after her talk with Ippo and their pending date.

"Uhm..." Ippo had come back in.

"Yes?"

"Well...uhm...could you tell me where your school is?"

* * *

Kamogawa scowled at the video. The winner of the West Rookie tournament was strong. Unfortunately he hadn't had a single fight last more than one round. There just wasn't anyone in the tournament that challenged him enough, so getting a clear image of his boxing style was troublesome. What was obvious was that he and the kid were pretty evenly matched. Both of them had a dynamite punch that could plow through a block and score a knockout. This Sendou Takeshi person had a worse defense, but while his offensive style lacked polish there was something feral about it. His fighting instincts were top-notch. If an opponent was vulnerable he struck without hesitation.

Judging by his comments after matches, Sendou focused entirely on offense. No doubt when Ippo squared off in the ring in two months time with him, the Naniwa Tiger would have more punches in his arsenal. Kamogawa had decided to focus on improving Ippo's defense. The kid already had a good feel for the ring. He maintained distance and rolled with punches like he'd been boxing professionally for years. With Ippo's left fist damaged, doing regular sparing wasn't possible, but they could still increase his ability to withstand blows.

One of the most important areas to develop was the neck. The stronger and thicker your neck was the more you were able to take head shots. Boxers had developed several techniques to improve the neck's strength over the years, and Kamogawa was going to have Ippo use every one of them. For strengthening the body, there was nothing better than the medicine ball. It stimulated a punch's power nicely, and experiencing punches first hand was really the only way to get better at taking them.

The kid had also wanted to do some weight training focusing on his shoulders. Kamogawa had been wary, the brat was already too strong for his own good - further increasing his monster strength would only cause him to damage his hands. The Mashiba fight had made that fact abundantly clear. The bone-bruise on Ippo's left hand would take an entire month to heal. The reason for increasing his shoulder muscles was surprisingly thought out. Just like a boxer's legs absorbed the damage from taking punches, developing one's shoulders would protect them from their own power. Ippo had said he'd learned it from one of his family's customers who had a previous national judo champion as his doctor.

Between all of the exercises Ippo would be doing and his road work - which now included leg weights all the time - there wouldn't be much time left in his regime. The slip bag was doing its work well, and Ippo's weight-shifting was providing an ability to dodge that was astounding, but it wasn't enough. Being able to take hits was good. Against someone like Sendou, taking damage was inevitable. Ippo needed to be able to avoid those punches though. Even with a damaged fist, Kamogawa would be able to have the kid do some slow sparring.

By boxing at half speed, it was easier to notice where punches were coming from. In terms of increasing defensive ability, sparring at a slower pace outstripped regular sparring by quite a ways. It would also let someone like Aoki or Kimura show off their full ability. Normally when they sparred with Ippo the fear of his punches, and the damage that they caused even with 16 oz. gloves hampered his older opponents. If Ippo's punches didn't intimidate his senpais into fighting more defensively, then they'd be able to attack Ippo at their true skill level. Judging from the tapes, Sendou wouldn't be intimidated by another boxer no matter who it was, so Ippo wouldn't have the defensive cushion he was accustomed to.

* * *

For the last week Ippo had been...giddy, and Takamura wanted to know why. His Kouhai was training with increased vigor, but when he was cooling off he went around with a stupid look on his face. Even the gentle berating he'd done hadn't had any effect. This morning he'd come in to the Gym and done his workout early. Supposedly he didn't have to go to school even though it was a half-day Saturday because his class was focusing on studying for entrance exams. Somehow Ippo had seemed even more chipper than usual. Something was up.

The mahjong fiasco had given Takamura some more insight into whatever power Ippo possessed. He'd been quizzing Ippo about other un-known boxers, but the younger boy hadn't known anything. Clearly whatever ability that Ippo had to gain insight into the future only worked for actions that Ippo himself would take. If Takamura had been interested he bet he could've discovered all the boxers that Ippo would fight going solely by how much his kouhai knew about them. Unfortunately this meant that his mahjong plans were shot unless he wanted to spend the years it would take to actually teach Ippo the game.

If Ippo was this happy then something good was going to happen to him today. So far all the knowledge Ippo had displayed had been about boxing, so perhaps that was another limitation. If that was true then just what could it be? When Ippo came out of the dressing room wearing a button down shirt with his hair combed (not that it didn't soon revert to it's spiky default style), Takamura made his decision. He was going to find out just what was going on with Ippo today. Depending on what it was, he might just have to crush it just so Ippo would stop being so annoying.

Fortunately Ippo didn't seem very aware of his surrounding. Takamura's height made him stand out, but he'd successfully trailed Ippo from the gym to the station to a small suburb area. There was nothing here except for schools and houses, so Ippo must be visiting someone. Instead he'd made his way to a school and stood next to the gates with his back against the wall. He was meeting someone from this school? Who did Ippo even know that wasn't from his school or the gym. Miyata? Takamura couldn't think of anyone else, but Ippo's rival had already graduated, lived several miles away, and had gone to another school.

Peering from around the corner of the school wall, Takamura watched Ippo. It was kinda nostalgic to be at a high school, not that Takamura had spent much time in class when he'd been Ippo's age. For half an hour the pair of them waited. Ippo seemed to be humming to himself, while Takamura was becoming more and more agitated. What was going on? This was ridiculous. Just as he was deciding between going and beating Ippo or just leaving, the school bell rang. Teenagers began to pour through the gates. Takamura leaned back against the wall and tried to look like he belonged there. It wasn't until he heard a familiar name that he started listening to a group of girls that were slowly making their way past.

"...with Mashiba."

"I heard she's going out with someone who beat up Ryou!"

"What?! Have you seen her brother? It take some kind of super-delinquent to do that!"

"Oh my..! Asakura! Look over there!" The three girls were glancing his direction. "That has to be him!"

"How old do you think he is?"

"I don't know..30?" What? Those little...

"Ewwww... What a pervert! And look at his hair! Epp!" With a glance Takamura caused the three girls to scurry off. Mashiba? Brother? What was going on?

Once the initial crowd had dispersed some, Takamura glanced back around the corner. Ippo was still standing there. A few more minutes passed, then young girl wearing a hair band came running up to him.

"I'm sorry, were you waiting long?"

"No, I just got here." What was with this cliche greeting?

The two of them went walking down the street chatting happily. Takamura followed them as they went back to the station, and took a train to a shopping district. He was on a date! That little... No wonder he was so happy this past week. Takamura was about to crash their little party when Ippo started looking around worriedly. Did he sense something was about to happen? Ippo quickly led the girl into an ice cream shop. Takamura was about follow when he saw a familiar face. Mashiba! The lanky boxer emerged from another alleyway and took up residence at the corner of the cafe. From there he could peek through the window and follow the two of them when they emerged. That was the spot where Takamura was going to have spied on them from.

Wait...Mashiba...brother...beat up... The story that Fuji had told them came back to Takamura. Mashiba had a little sister, and Ippo was on a date with her! This was priceless. He'd have to tell Aoki and Kimura as soon as possible, but first he had to watch the rest of the date. Juicy details would make the story. Plus, with Mashiba hovering around Ippo might need some backup. For a boxer, his kouhai was completely worthless in a street fight. Thus, Ippo and Kumi continued their date with Mashiba following them, and Takamura following him.

* * *

"Hello!" Ippo shouted a greeting as he entered the gym. Yesterday had been his date with Kumi and it had gone great. Ippo had still had the feeling that someone was watching them, and a few times he thought he saw Kumi's brother out of the corner of his eyes. It was probably just left over nerves from when he'd gone on his previous first date with her. The haunted house had been scary, so imagining Ryou was quite fitting. Kumi was right through, there was no way her brother had been at the fair grounds. It was even more impossible that he was at the shopping center yesterday, after-all he didn't even know about the date.

"..." Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura were huddled in a group not far away. They didn't make any move to respond to him. Perhaps they weren't feeling too well?

"Uhm..."

"Just as you said."

"He's all energetic." Ippo had a bad feeling.

"A younger girl, and cute too."

"No wonder he's been in such a good mood."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Ippo, old buddy, old pal, you wouldn't keep secrets from your friends would you." Takamura had an enormous grin on his face. "What'd you rush out of here so quickly yesterday for?"

"I-I went to a shopping center."

"A shopping center you say." Takamura punctuated his statement with an elbow to the gut that was just a bit too hard. "You have such a smile on your face. Did something good happen?"

"W-Well..."

"C'mon tell us!" Takamura had put him in a head-lock and was grinding his knuckles into Ippo's hair, all the while smiling like a maniac.

"Uhm..."

"We're your friends right? If something good happened we'd want to know. How can we celebrate if you don't tell us?"

"I...had a date."

"Ohhhhh?" Takamura drew out the syllable. "That's great! With anyone we know?"

"N-No."

"Really, not with anyone we might have heard of before? Like a sister to one of your opponents?" What? How could Takamura know that? Was he psychic?

"A-Actually... It was with M-Mashiba's sister." With that statement the expressions of his three senpais darkened.

"So he admits it."

"Fraternizing with the enemy."

"Or perhaps you went looking for her after Fuji told us about her."

"Won her from her brother?"

"I didn't know Ippo was the kind of guy to take a girl by force."

"N-NO! I-It's not like that! We knew each other before."

"Oh reeeeeally?!" By now Ippo had been backed into a corner. With Takamura flanked by Aoki and Kimura bearing down on him he suddenly felt very small.

"So he's been seeing a girl while fighting her brother."

"The tragedy!"

"And behind Miyata-kun's back!"

"Who were you rooting for in that match? Eh? Your friend or your girlfriend's brother?"

"Waaaa!" Ippo's preservation sense, honed by years avoiding Umezawa, was screaming at him. He dashed to the side, and was chased around the gym. His senpais followed him, throwing gloves, bags, and medicine balls.

"What's going on here!" Kamogawa-sensei had walked through the door.

"C-Coach! Help me!" Ippo rushed to his side.

"All of you quit goofing around. If you have that much energy save it for sparring! Speaking of which, Ippo get in the ring with Aoki!"

"Yes sir!" After Ippo and Aoki were suited up and in the basement ring, Ippo looked at the coach. "Slow sparring again?" He and Aoki had been sparing at half speed this last week. It really did make noticing the way the older boxer's punches flowed easier.

"Nope, it's time to see if what you learned is paying off! Aoki! Go all out! Ippo! Don't attack!"

"What?"

"Gotcha! You ready Ippo?" Aoki had a evil gleam in his eyes. It was mirrored in Takamura and Kimura who were watching from the sidelines.

The actual spar itself didn't go as badly as he'd feared. Aoki's attacks flew non-stop, and were as un-predictable as ever. Ippo managed to withstand the assault though. A right, a left, another left. He somehow expected the punches that Aoki chose to throw. The slow sparring had helped Ippo see the relationship between his position and Aoki's and which punches seemed to be used. For a full round he swayed and shifted, dodged and blocked. After the first round was over, Aoki hadn't managed to connect with a single clean shot. Ippo was relieved. His sense of the ring seemed sharper. Sendou had a far better attack repertoire. And his opponent for the next match also wouldn't do him the favor of sparring at half speed so he could get a read on his current speed and punching habits.

"That's not going to be good enough."

"What?" Ippo looked over at Takamura.

"Your next opponent's really strong right? Let your senpai with similar punches help you out." Takamura had put on some 16 oz. gloves and entered the ring.

"You might be right. If Ippo can avoid your attacks his defensive training will be complete." The coach was agreeing to this?! It was going to be a long time until the match with Sendou.

To his credit, Ippo did manage to avoid being knocked out by Takamura for almost an entire minute. It was a personal best.

* * *

"Listen to this wild crowd! The most talented of the East and the West will face off next! It's a battle of the Aces! Tonight's main event is starting!"

"First to enter is Sendou, he walks to the ring with both arms raised. The crowd cheers for their home-town favorite!"

"Coming in next is Makunochi. He's continuing to shadow box as he enters! Both fighters are ready for this match!"

"The East/West Featherweight Rookie King Championship match! Both fighters were voted most talented! Both have 6 fights and 6 K.O.s! It's a hard-punching dream, the most anticipated matchup that's sure to end with a knockout!"

Takamura watched from the stands. The chants of 'Sendou' rang through the stadium.

"This Sendou call's insane."

"This is a bad atmosphere for Ippo." It was hard to hear Kimura and Aoki even though they were sitting right next to him. Ippo wouldn't be phased by just some chanting. Only trash boxers worried about that kind of stuff. His kouhai was made out of the same material as he was. Winning the Rookie King tournament was just the next step for him.

"The 7th match, feather class, All-Japan Rookie King Finals is about to begin!"

"In the Red corner, weighing 125 and a half pounds, from Kamogawa Gym, MA-KU-NO-CHI Ippooooo!" Even with such a hostile crowd, Ippo was greeting them properly. Bowing like that to the entire audience was only something that he could pull off and not make it look forced. The look on his face after he finished showed that Ippo was ready for the match.

"In the Blue corner, also at 125 and a half pounds, home-town's Kentoukai Gym's Seeeeen-douuuu TA-KE-SHIIII!" The response from the crowd was so loud Takamura felt it more than heard it.

"The clash of power is about to begin! This fight could be decided with one punch, so don't look away!" Geez, the announcer sure was milking this. Takamura didn't remember such fan-fair for his Rookie King final match. Of course it had been completely one-sided, so it was probably hard to get worked up over it.

"Second's Out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

Ippo dashed towards the center of the ring as soon as the gong sounded. His right hook hit Sendou cleanly, but the home-town favorite threw one of his own. The two boxer's blows connected at the same time. In terms of speed they were evenly matched. It had been Takamura's idea to dash out at the gong, but Sendou's instincts were no joke. Ippo reeled from the blow, but came back with a left jab. Sendou blocked and returned a jab of his own. The two traded jabs that were more like straights, but Ippo was being pushed back. Sendou always pressed forward even while taking a hit. Less than 30 seconds into the match, Ippo's back was to the ropes.

A left jab, a right body-blow, a left hook. Sendou unleashed a flurry of bone-shattering hits, but Ippo blocked them all. With a right hook Ippo surged forward. It was blocked, but the force drove Sendou back. The two boxers exchanged hits, but it was Sendou who got the next unblocked shot with a left body-blow. Ippo's legs stopped, and the following straights were only barely avoided. A left hook reversed the momentum. Back and forth, each boxer turned around the opponent's momentum with a powerful blow from nowhere.

*ding*ding*ding*

The first round was over.

"Ippo's doing pretty good don't you think?" Aoki was smiling.

"I think he won that round 10-9, but I have a bad feeling."

"Huh?"

"It feels like Sendou hasn't gotten serious yet, like he still hasn't shown us his Sunday punch." It was true that if things kept on going like they did in the first round Ippo would win, but both boxers were capable of ending the match with one hit.

*ding*ding*ding*

The second round began. Ippo had dropped his peek-a-boo stance for one similar to Sendou's. As the two fighters approached each other, Sendou lowered his left arm. An upper-cut? No, a hook? No, it was something in the middle... A 3/4's upper-cut: a Smash! If Sendou could throw something like that, it'd be dangerous for Ippo. Smashes were hard to block. If you never encountered one before, it'd be practically impossible. Sendou began his motion, but rather than block Ippo threw a punch of his own. With his lowered right fist, he threw a straight at Sendou's head. A 3/4's straight. A punch like that was a perfect counter to the smash. It went in a straight line rather than a curved path, so it'd hit first.

*BAMPH!*

Sendou's blow had connected before Ippo's. Since Ippo had been in the middle of throwing his own punch, Sendou had hit with the weight of a counter! Ippo fell.

"1!"

"What was that?"

"2!"

"Sendou threw a smash and Ippo tried to counter it." Takamura resigned himself to explaining what had happened to his friends.

"3!"

"A counter?"

"4!"

"Yeah, and it was the perfect punch to do so with. If Ippo had practiced counters before, or even used that punch before now he probably would've pulled it off."

"5!"

"How'd he know Sendou was going to throw a smash? I mean he's never used that punch before."

"6!"

"I wonder..." How did Ippo have the perfect counter lined up? If he'd been successful, then Sendou would be on the mat instead of him. Was this another hint at Ippo's power?

"7!"

Ippo was holding the ropes, trying to pull himself up.

"8!"

He was almost there. Takamura didn't know if he'd make it in time.

"9!"

Ippo got back on his feet, but he didn't look good. The punch had clearly gotten to him. Also, it was early in the round. Getting saved by the bell wasn't an option even though he'd managed to stand. Sendou attacked, but Ippo dashed forward. He was going for a clinch. No...he was reducing the distance between the two of them. Pressed against Sendou, neither boxer could throw long or mid-range punches - including the smash. Ippo wasn't attacking through, instead he'd balled up and was pressing in against Sendou's chest. Sendou punched and Ippo blocked. The power that Sendou had before, the power to blow away a block wasn't working. Even with the one-sided exchange, Sendou was the first to retreat. A back-step would've brought him into mid-range again, but the second he moved Ippo dashed forward - maintaining the ultra-short range.

"What's Ippo doing?" Kimura asked.

"He's being desperate. At such close range, Sendou can't throw a smash. Neither fighter can put their weight into their punches, so Ippo's full-defense strategy has an advantage there."

"The crowd's pretty restless, they expected a hitting match. Ippo's not attacking at all."

"I don't think it can be helped, he's probably in no shape to throw a punch."

Sendou did another back-step, but as soon as he moved Ippo threw a right upper-cut. A long right from his crouching position. Ippo had began the motion just as Sendou moved. A hush fell over the crowd. Sendou was on his back. The referee motioned Ippo to a neutral corner, and Ippo staggered away.

"Heh" Takamura smirked. "That was a pretty good punch. The crowd won't like it."

"Yeah, having their home-town hero beat like that...Ippo might not survive the night."

"No need to worry about that, the fight's not over." Sendou had gotten back up at the 7 count. The two boxers approached each other, both obviously damaged at this point.

*ding*ding*ding*

* * *

Ippo was exhausted. Somehow he'd survived the round. The punch that he'd been counting on to beet Sendou, the punch that'd countered the smash the first time, his ace in the hole had backfired on him. He'd taken the full power of Sendou's smash. It was only because he'd been afraid. Afraid of Sendou's power that'd he'd expected to get punched. If Fuji-san was right then that would've reduced the damage he'd taken, but Ippo had only just barely been able to stand. His head was spinning. Crouching low and leaning against Sendou was the only way he'd been able to maintain his balance. He'd used that same tactic to seal the smash before, so Sendou's sudden back step had been expected. The upper-cut was pure desperation, but it had worked.

Kamogawa-sensei was talking to him, but Ippo couldn't make out what he was saying. The ringing in his ears hadn't stopped yet, but strangely he felt pretty good for having taken Sendou's punches for close to a full 2 minutes. The damage that normally came from the Naniwa Tiger's blows wasn't there. Being so close and so low had robbed Sendou of the ability to put his full power behind his punches. That strategy wouldn't work again. There was no way that Sendou would allow him to get in that same position. The coach was saying something. Ippo didn't understand the words, but the message was clear. He nodded. He was ready for the next round.

The referee was motioning, the bell must have rung. Standing up took effort. As he approached the center of the ring, Sendou charged.

Jabs, hooks and straights were thrown, but Ippo swayed and ducked around them. Sendou's onslaught was relentless. Ippo couldn't find an opening. His training had been defensive, and he now fell back on it. Sendou was getting into his rhythm, but so was Ippo. He could tell when the punches would be thrown, and the best way to avoid them. Sendou leaned forward and then came up with a lunging smash. Ippo shifted his weight deeply to the right, the same deep sway that Ozuma had used against him. The smash went wide. Sendou was open. Ippo threw a liver-blow followed by a right over-hand. Both blows hit cleanly, but didn't slow Sendou down.

The pattern repeated itself. Ippo knew what kind of punches Sendou would throw. He'd seen them all before. He'd felt their power and reach. He was able to dodge them and then counter attack. The deep shifting was working! Sendou threw another lunging smash, and Ippo threw a liver blow as his shifted to the right to avoid his opponent's attack. The force of the punch nearly knocked Ippo down. His arm was numb. Sendou was doubled over - kneeling on the ground.

"Down! Go to a neutral corner!"

"1!"

"2!"

"3!"

"4!"

"5!" Sendou hadn't moved at all, but his eyes opened. Ippo could feel his glare from across the ring. Sendou stood up as the referee continued to count, and then pushed him aside and advanced on Ippo.

Sendou charged. His punches were still live. Another lunging smash was dodged, but suddenly Sendou was throwing a right straight. The smash had been a feint. All of Ippo's weight was to the side, he couldn't avoid the blow. Ippo could only return the attack. The two boxers traded punches. Sendou and Ippo alternated their hits. Neither was dodging at this point, and their blocks couldn't reduce all of the power of each-other's blows. Ippo's vision swam as he blocked a left hook. The damaged he'd suffered was too much. Sendou would knock him out through his guard if this continued. He had to avoid the punches entirely. If he could attack while dodging, like he'd envisioned doing during his first match of the tournament... Ippo shifted left to avoid a hook, then right to dodge a straight. Each time he landed a body-blow of his own. After the second one, Sendou was bent over again. Ippo reversed his rotation and brought a right-overhand down on Sendou's jaw. Sendou fell, but so did Ippo. The punch had thrown him off-balance. The two boxers lay side-by-side.

"1!" The referee was counting. Was it for him or Sendou? Ippo didn't know, but he had to get up.

"2!" His legs felt like jelly.

"3!"

"4!" Ippo grabbed the ropes. Next to him Sendou did the same.

"5!" Ippo slipped. Sendou was already on his feet.

"6!"

"7!" Ippo stood again. Holding onto the ropes he tried to force himself up. How did Sendou do it? He always got back up.

"8!" Ippo let go of the ropes. He wobbled, but stayed standing.

"Can you continue?" Ippo nodded and raised his fists.

The referee motioned to the side and the bell rung signaling the end of the fight.

"What?" Ippo didn't know what was going on. Sendou spun around and stalked back to his corner.

"The winner by TKO! Makunochi Ippo!"

Ippo was confused. Hadn't the ref been counting for him? A T.K.O.? Sendou had fallen twice! It was still a rookie match, so there was a 2 knock-down limit. Ippo looked over at his opponent. Sendou was moving as if he wasn't damaged at all. Ippo could barely stand. Winning like this didn't feel right. He'd wanted to fight with Sendou with everything he had, but he'd scored two knockdown while being more heavily injured.

"No, this isn't right... Sendou can still fight."

*thwack* Kamogawa had hit him in the back of the head.

"Don't praise your opponent so much. A win is a win. You can always have a re-match."

Ippo nodded. A rematch against Sendou would be exhilarating.

K.O. Time 3rd Round: 2 minutes, 52 seconds

Japan Rookie King Tournament Victor

Macunochi Ippo Victory

7-0-0 7 K.O.s


	10. Senpais and Kouhais

Senpais and Kouhais

Kamogawa sipped his sake. The victory party for the kid was unusually somber. Even Takamura didn't liven it up. The match with Sendou had ended with the kid being booed, so it didn't feel like a victory. No matter what Ippo did, that crowd wouldn't have cheered for him, but the animosity that he received instead... It was only because Sendou turned around and re-entered the ring that things didn't get uglier. The announcer had promised a knock out, and he had been technically correct. If the fans wanted someone to be angry with, they should complain to the boxing committee. A 2 knock down T.K.O. was a bad rule in the amateurs. Carrying it over into the pro ring was taking "safety" too far. In his day, after the war had ended, there wasn't a rule like that. If you could stand back up, the fight continued. Getting back up was what showed your fighting spirit. A samurai would always rise again. Winning while your opponent still had fight left in him...it did leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Kamogawa swallowed his 3rd cup, and Yagi refilled it for him. The brat had taken Sendou's best shot and gotten back up! He even scored a knockdown in that same round! It also wasn't like Sendou's downs were cheep or because of a slip or something. Ippo had thrown a punch while dodging. It had his full strength behind it and must've caught Sendou off-guard like a counter. After the stood back up, Sendou had weathered that blow multiple times! It was just because he was a home-town favorite that the crowd took his loss so hard. No matter what Kamagawa thought, it was the kid's state of mind that worried him. He'd won, but it felt more like a loss. A boxer's first loss was the hardest. Could the brat take it in stride?

* * *

Two months had passed since his fight with Sendou and Ippo was in a good mood. Today was graduation. After the ceremony Umezawa-kun had come up to him with a camera. This time Ippo wasn't surprised by the requests for pictures with him. The delinquents still made him nervous, but he struck a pose with them. The resulting photo did look better. Several other class-mates of his also wanted group photos with him. Ippo got into the swing of things quicker this time. He would never get used to being popular, but that also meant the times when he was it felt special. After all the pictures were taken he walked home with Umezawa and his two side-kicks.

The three of them talked and laughed. They were fun guys, and Ippo could hardly remember the days when they picked on him in school. At the bridge the group had to split up as their houses were in a different direction.

"Good luck Ippo! We'll cheer for you at your next match also!"

"Thank you!" Ippo yelled back at his two friends. It was then him and Umezawa alone.

"A Pro Boxer..." Umezawa sounded wistful. "It's hard work, but I'm still envious. Starting now, whether we like it or not, we have to get a job. We don't have any dreams or goals. To be able to do what you love like you..."

"You have a dream. Don't you Umezawa-kun?"

"Huh? Well, yeah, but that's all it is. In reality I'm going to try and find a job at an office. Get a respectable hair-cut, and become a salary-man. *sigh*"

"What would you rather do?"

"Don't laugh." Umezawa held up a fist threateningly. Ippo raised both hands and smiled nervously. "If you tell anyone I'll beat you up. Got it?"

"I promise I won't!" Umezawa seemed satisfied with his answer and nodded.

"I want to draw manga."

"That's great!"

"Nah, it's a lot of work. Most people don't make it, and I don't really have any experience with a subject. Without first-hand knowledge you have to write a sci-fi or a fantasy, and those have a lot of competition."

"W-Well...I have an idea..."

"You do?"

"Y-Yeah... I need to spend more time training now that I'm a ranked boxer, but if I leave my mom to run the business by herself then I'm sure she'll collapse one day!"

"WHAT?! She's sick?"

"N-No..It's just a feeling I have... S-So if you want to work for my family's fishing business I'm sure I could get you a job!"

"Well.."

"It's hard work, but I'm sure you can learn a lot about both fishing and boxing doing it!" Ippo couldn't place the expression on his friend's face.

"Ippo..." Umezawa's voice sounded like it cracked for a second. "Let me think about it ok?"

"Sure! If you did it, you'd really be helping me out!"

"Y-Yeah...Well I gotta go!" The two of them had come to the intersection where their routes split. They'd been talking there for a little while, so Ippo nodded. Umezawa waved goodbye, and Ippo smiled and waved back.

Ippo walked home lost in thought. Up ahead he saw a figure through the light snow that was falling. He was wearing a suit and tie, and they bellowed in the wind. Miyata-kun looked so cool. It was like the cold didn't touch him. Under his arm he had his high-school diploma. Then he opened his eyes. Ippo was caught off-guard by the intensity in his stare.

"I graduated today also. I came by to see you as soon as it was over."

"M-Miyata-kun..."

"I'm going away from Japan for a while. I just wanted to say good-bye."

"Oh...I see...W-When will you come back?"

"When the gap between us has been filled. Right now you're the Rookie Champion, and I'm just another hopeful that lost. I'm going to go around Korea and Thailand. When I'm strong enough I'll challenge you again." Miyata had turned and started walking away through the snow.

"G-Goodbye! I'll be sure to get stronger so I can face you!" Miyata took one hand out of his pocket and held it up. A fist. Ippo waved goodbye, but Miyata kept walking and didn't look back.

* * *

The graduation ceremony ended and Kumi walked out of the school with her friends. As she passed through the gate she saw a familiar form.

"Ryou-nii-san! You came! I thought you said you'd have to work!"

"..." Her elder brother just nodded. Kumi's friends never spent much time around him, but she'd told them all about him.

"Uhm..." Beside her brother Ippo-san was shrinking in on himself. Her boyfriend looked like he wanted to run away...Ryou did have that effect on people. She'd have to have a talk with her brother later. She was glad Ippo had come though.

"Ippo-san! I'm glad you're here!" While it was true that the two of them hadn't even held hands yet, they had been on several dates so far. Ippo just seemed to want to move slowly. Kumi didn't mind. The fact that Ryou liked him so much, and that Ippo liked her brother enough to put up with his anti-social behavior was a gift from heaven. Finding a boy that liked both her and her brother? Kumi wondered what the odds were.

"Oh! That's the professional boxer you're dating?"

"Wow, I guess it wasn't that old guy with the pompadour after all."

"I know! Let's get a picture with the two boxers!"

"That'd be awesome!" Her friends were so excitable. Kumi imagined Ippo with a pompadour. She couldn't suppress the giggle that came with that particular mental image. After several pictures involving both Ippo and Ryou a crowd had formed. It seemed that there were a number of boxing fans among the students and both of her male acquaintances were pressured into posing for additional pictures. When things wound down, Kumi waved goodbye to her friends and started walking home with Ippo at her side and Ryou towering behind them. She'd placed her graduation scroll in her bag and clasped it in front of her with both hands. Kumi looked up at the sky as they started walking, it was a beautiful winter day with a few snowflakes to give ambiance, but not enough to make it too cold.

"You managed to come Ippo-san! I'm so happy!" Having Ippo as her boyfriend really did make her happy.

"Y-Yeah. My graduation was yesterday, so I have the day off."

"I'm glad you and big brother are getting along so well!" Kumi wondered what the two of them had been talking about while they waited. Probably boxing she decided.

"Y-Yeah."

"..." Ryou continued to say nothing and glowered in the back. It was strange. When she walked down the street with her brother, the crowd seemed to just part to make room for her. An advantage of being tall she suspected. Kumi was completely oblivious to the dark aura that seemed to hang around him.

"S-So...What are you going to do now?" Ippo was stealing glances at Ryou behind them. Her boyfriend probably didn't want her brother to feel left out of the conversation. It was a good thing that Ippo looked so cute when he was nervous, since he'd had the same body language on all of their dates that he did right now.

"My internship with the hospital is almost over. I'm hoping to start work there full-time. Though that will leave Ryou-nii-san alone at work again."

"You'll make a great nurse Kumi-san!" There were times when Ippo spoke with 100% conviction. It really impressed her. When Ippo talked like that, Kumi felt that whatever he said would definitely happen.

"*giggle* If Ippo-san says it with such force it must be true!" That elected a blush from her second favorite person in the world. At the same time, the space around them in the crowd grew larger for some reason.

* * *

Sendou stood in front of the Kamogawa Gym. It had taken a lot of work over the last few months, but today was the day. His fight with Makunochi had been spectacular, but it'd ended so anti-climatically. Sure, the 2nd round had pissed him off, but Makunochi's power was real. Every time he landed a blow Sendou had felt the damage radiate throughout his body. Turtling hadn't been manly, but getting up from a full-power smash was...argh! The only way to clear the air was to have another fight. With that in mind he threw open the door.

"MAKUNOCHI!" Boxers throughout the gym looked over at him, but Sendou had already spied his target. Ippo was in the corner working the heavy bag.

"S-Sendou? What are you doing here?"

"I came ta give ya this!" Sendou slapped the envelope against Makunochi's chest. "Well? Hurry up and read 't."

"Uhm...'Letter of Challenge'?"

"'s right. Let's hava rematch. You don't have 'ny fight lined up right? Well I just 'came an 8-rounder, so we'll hava 3 knockdown T.K.O. So's we can hava proper finish!"

"That's sounds great! I wasn't satisfied with our last fight either." He knew it! Also, 'last'? What did he mean by that? Whatever, it wasn't important. There was no way that someone like Makunochi'd be happy with such a weak ending.

"Gah ha ha ha! I knew I could count" *thwap* "OW!"

"What's going on here? What are you doing in my gym?" Coach Kamogawa had come up behind them.

"'s look like old man?" That cane had hurt! "We're gonna have a rematch!"

"You moron!"

"What?" He and Ippo had spoken at the same time.

"Even if I'd allow such a thing, it's completely impossible right now. Did you even talk to your manager before coming down here...to what? Deliver a challenge letter by hand?"

"Well...Not so much..." And what was wrong with delivering a challenge by hand? That's how you did things!

"The kid's the Rookie King. That's means he's ranked 10th in the country. Get it? He's a 10-rounder already? You two can't have a match until you have enough fights to move up."

"What? Is that true?"

"Of course it is! If you'd bother to ask or even call you wouldn't have come all this way for nothing!"

"U-Uhm..." What was with Makunochi being so timid? "What about the Class-A tournament?"

"How do you know about that?" Kamogawa looked sideways at Ippo. "Never mind. If you've heard of it then you must know the requirements. Only those 8 or more matches can enter. I suppose you're thinking about it?" Makunochi just nodded.

"Well I don't know, so why doncha tell me about it?" Things were starting to make Sendou angry again.

"W-Well..The Class-A tournament is for the top rankers. The winner get's a title shot. S-So if we both enter then we'd meet there."

"That's a great idea. The finals 'n another tournament! 's appropriate for our rematch, doncha think?" 8 matches? He'd already done that! Normally he'd only fight in the Kansai area so the kids could attend his matches, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. There was no time to waste. Sendou dashed out of the Gym, he had to get back to Osaka! He had to train some more!

* * *

First it had been a diet for weeks. Staying so low under his body's natural weight always put Takamura on edge. The crowd of pathetic want to be's that were in the gym today didn't help. When they started 'oooh'ing and 'aaaah'ing over every little punch, it became too much. If they wanted to be boxers so badly, he'd show them. As expected, none of them survived the road work. Oh there was one that made it, but the prospect of sparring afterwards drove him off. There was also Ippo's little replacement for Miyata. If he hadn't seen his kouhai on a date with his own eyes...perhaps he had a wide range of targets? Regardless, the fresh meat needed a name. Since the most prominent thing about him was that he'd vomited, it'd have to include 'gero'. 'Gero' + 'Yamada Naomichi' = 'Geromichi'! Now that was a good name!

"Hey Ippo, where's Geromich?"

"He's still in the shower, a-and isn't that name a little rude. I-I mean he does more than that." Perfect! Ippo had gotten it without any explanation! Truly a masterwork!

"No sports history. A welter-class with that height?" Kimura had joined the conversation about their newest member.

"He's not going to keep boxing, so it doesn't matter." There was a commotion coming from the locker area. Aoki came out holding something in his hands that Geromichi was desperately trying to grab.

"What's going on?" "What's wrong?"

"Trying to get it back so desperately..." Aoki had a nice grin on his face. "Do you have a girl's picture inside."

"ALLRIGHT!" Takamura grabbed Geromichi to put an end to his frantic attempts at getting his wallet back. Ippo had moved towards Aoki, so Takamura put him in a head-lock too. "Let's see what's inside."

"Takamura! Cut it out!" "Noooo!" His two captives protested.

"*heh*heh*heh* HERE IT GOES!" With a dramatic flourish, Aoki reveled the insides of the wallet. Sure enough there was a picture there...of Ippo.

"Oh, so Geromichi is an Ippo-fan eh? Guess you'll look after him then."

"Ok!" Ippo's response had come awfully quick. Did he actually want Geromichi as a kouhai? Had he seen something again? No...there was no way Geromichi was relevant in any way. Ippo must really have been lonely without Miyata.

* * *

Hiroko looked at Umezawa, her son's friend was starting to get the hang of things. He had come at Ippo's request a few weeks ago. Her son had been working himself ragged between his boxing and helping her out with the fishing boat, so it wasn't that surprising when he'd suggested hiring some help. Honestly, she'd been having a hard time keeping up with the demands of the job. Even though Ippo was out of school, he still spent a large amount of the day training for boxing. He was a professional boxer, so it shouldn't have been unexpected how much of her son's time it consumed. It was like he was working two jobs, since he'd continued to help her with nearly every aspect of their company.

Ippo also spoke so highly of Umezawa. Hiroko knew he'd been one of the boys that had bullied her son in the past. Ippo never said anything, but when he came home with scrapes or bruises Hiroko knew what had happened. If only Kazuo-kun had been alive to talk to Ippo about being a man... Her late husband would've been proud with how Ippo had turned out though. He truly was a strong man of the sea. Umezawa was now a true friend of his regardless of what they'd been in the past. Her son had matured so much so quickly.

* * *

All of Kamogawa Gym's best boxers were having matches on the same day, except for Ippo. Aoki, Kimura, and Takamura were all fighting today, but Ippo hadn't gotten an opponent yet. He wasn't too concerned. In the original timeline that he came from, his fist wasn't healed enough to fight with at this point. Gaining the requirements for the Class-A tournament only required one more fight. If history repeated itself, then Date Eiji's kouhai - Okita Keigo - would challenge him. That however was a result of his spar with Date, which came about from a meeting tonight. Ippo hoped that he'd impressed the older boxer enough so that he got the spar, or he'd have to hope for another match to materialize before July.

Yamada was waiting for him outside the stadium. Once again 'Geromichi' had shown up early. Ippo had thought about trying to prevent Yamada from getting that nickname, but once the younger kid had vomited in front of Takamura... Time and space may bend, but Takamura wouldn't. Ippo had tried to coach Yamada about being so shy, but his new-found kouhai had still annoyed Aoki when the two of them went backstage to wish him good luck.

"Oh, Ippo-kun!"

"Fuji-san!" The boxing reporter had just exited a stairwell.

"Kamagawa Gym sure has a lot on it's plate today eh?"

"I'm sure everyone will win."

"If you say so Ippo-kun. This really is convenient. I wanted to introduce the two of you."

"I don't need an introduction." A familiar voice echoed from behind Fuji-san. "I'm surprised you're not fighting tonight Ippo-kun."

"Ippo-kun, this is.."

"I-I know...Well I should know, I mean he's the one standing at the top of my weight class: Date Eiji-san."

"I see. So you've been doing your research."

"W-Well m-maybe a l-little." Ippo had started sweating. The champion's aura was just so overwhelming. He walked forward and held out his right hand. Ippo hesitantly took it and looked at the floor while the two of them shook. "N-Nice to meet you."

"Gah ha ha ha! You don't have to be so up-tight man!" Date smiled a huge grin and slapped Ippo on the back.

"Uoooooooh! It's the old man!" Takamura walked up to the conversation.

"Look here. I'm 28, I'm not an old man." Date had an annoyed expression on his face.

"Hmmph. Coming to brag to my kouhai."

"That's not what I was doing man. He was just so formal. Like we were about to have a match." Date had slapped his arm around Ippo's back and turned to face Takamura. "He's a cute one."

"What are you doing backstage?"

"Well, that Kimura from your gym is fighting one of ours. I'm a guest speaker."

"You? A commentator? How brazen."

"Hey, it's not something I like myself. More importantly, your opponent, he's supposed to be strong." Ippo nodded. Date was right. Takamura's opponent was tougher than most.

"Well, I was nervous for a bit. Don't tell anyone." Takamura didn't sound nervous.

"Yeah right, would someone nervous be wandering the halls?" Date punched at Takamura with a huge smile on his face. Ippo's senpai caught it and then grinned back.

"I was nervous about how to make the fight entertaining." Ippo prayed that Takamura was just joking about that. A fight that was 'entertaining' by his standards wasn't a good thing.

"Champion, it's almost time." Fuji-san spoke up.

"Oh you're right." Date looked at his watch. "If you screw up, I'll make a really embarrassing comment!"

"Awww, you're commenting my fight too?" Takamura glanced down at Ippo. "Hey. Old man. You said this guy was cute a moment ago, but he's got a punch that's not cute." Ippo was now under Takamura's arm. It felt nice having his senpai stand up for him. "If you underestimate him then you'll wind up with the rug pulled out from your feet!"

"Heh...Very true. The Rookie King means he's rank 10. If Makunochi keeps climbing the ladder then we might meet. But even though I'm still young, 28 is older than most boxers last. The featherweight class is filled with so many dangerous people. *sigh* I wish I could wait for all of you to climb up...I know! Before I go for the title, I wanna have a spar with someone good. Why don't you come by my gym and we can play?"

"Y-Yes..." Ippo had wanted to accept his challenge with more enthusiasm, but he still found himself overwhelmed.

"Heh, he's as confident as ever. That old man won't give up his title easily. He's strong, Ippo!" Ippo knew that Takamura's evaluation was accurate. Date was an amazing boxer.

"ALRIGHT!" From behind them came a shout.

"Kimura-san!"

"I'm Kamogawa Gym's lead off batter! Let's go!"

"Good luck!" Ippo grabbed Yamada. "C'mon Yamada-kun. We need to get seats!"

* * *

Takamura sighed. He didn't mind accompanying his little kouhai on this trip to Date's gym for the spar, but why was Geromichi coming with them? The new-comer was annoyingly shy. More-so than Ippo ever was. He'd promised Ippo that he'd be his corner man. As requested, he'd made sure that he didn't have a date that night. Takamura wouldn't have admitted to double-booking lest Kamogawa find out, but once Ippo had brought it up he realized he had. Somehow Ippo had known, but it wasn't related to him or to boxing so Takamura's theory on Ippo's ESP seemed to be wrong. So what could it be, and why did Ippo have knowledge about HIS love life? It didn't concern him...unless... If Takamura had to choose between a date and watching the old man humiliate Ippo...well he could watch Ippo be humiliated whenever he wanted... So his date did have an impact on both Ippo and boxing. The difference between him and Geromichi as a corner man would be pretty massive, so that had to be it. Without him, Ippo would probably get knocked down ten times in one round.

They'd been at the gym for 10 minutes by the time Date got back from his run. Ippo had warmed up by then and looked remarkably calm.

"Ippo. Look at the old man's punches." Date was doing some light shadow boxing on his way to the back of the gym. He still had to get ready for the spar. "See how they spin."

"Yeah."

"That's a corkscrew blow. By spinning his arms, he increases his punch's power."

"Ok!"

"He's pretty strong to begin with, so make sure you block those."

"Ok!"

"Now, charge at the beginning. He'll be doing the same, but you need to gain momentum quickly. If you fall into his pace, you won't be able to get out of it at your level."

"Ok!"

Shortly thereafter the first round of the spar began. Ippo charged like he'd been instructed to, but Date came out with equal fervor. The two exchanged punches in the middle of the ring, but the old man was too fast for the brat. Ippo did remarkably well in avoiding being hit, but his punches didn't manage to connect in return. What blows Date did land were either glancing or blocked, but Takamura wasn't fooled. The champion was testing the waters. It was the old man's style - charge in head-first and observe while attacking. The first round was over, but the next two would be the hardest.

"Good job, it looks like your able to avoid most of his blows."

"Y-Yeah, somehow."

"This next round will be more difficult. He's sure to try something. Keep your punches compact to avoid a counter, and don't let him corner you!"

"OK!"

Ippo had a lot of energy, but the old man attacked first. He alternated between over-hand blows and jabs at the top of Ippo's head, with body shots. It was a classic strategy that Ippo hadn't experienced yet. By attacking high and low, he wanted to get into a guessing game with his opponent. If Ippo blocked incorrectly, then Date would win, but if he chose right, the old man would just attack again. What made it truly dangerous was that the champion's punches were so well-polished. They had virtually no tells on their wind-up, so judging what was coming in time to block successfully was probably impossible for Ippo. It really was rigged from the start.

Ippo didn't drop his peek-a-boo style though. Even while taking hits to the face, he just ducked down deeper behind his gloves. Date knew what punches to throw to get around his kouhai's default stance, but Ippo persisted. At the end of the 2nd round, Date hadn't thrown any corkscrews. Ippo had landed a few blows, but they'd been glancing. Still, thanks to the head-gear that he was wearing, the punches he'd taken hadn't depleted much of his stamina.

"The only way you're going to hit him is to charge into his space. Take the fight to ultra-short range. You won't be able to dodge, but neither will he."

"*zeh*zeh* Ok! *zeh*" Ippo was breathing heavily, but he still had fight left in him.

The third round wound up almost identical to the second. Despite Ippo's best attempts, Date kept the fight at mid-range. Ippo's step-in was quick, and his ring-sense was pretty developed, but Date was still above him in both aspects. The old man had persisted with his high/low strategy. Takamura wondered if there was something else behind it, but since Ippo didn't take the bate and try blocking high or low - nothing happened. His kouhai took hits, and kept on advancing. If the spar had been longer, Takamura didn't know which would've happened first: Ippo catching Date, or Date cracking open Ippo's guard. Despite his lack of offensive success, Ippo had managed to go 3 rounds with the champion without taking a single down. That's was pretty impressive on it's own - even if it was with headgear.

* * *

Senpai was so amazing. He'd stood against the best boxer in the country and held his own! Yamada couldn't imagine what it must be like for Ippo. His pre-fight words were something that someone like him might have said. If he had to describe them, he would've been forced to say they lacked confidence. In the ring it was another story. Also, Senpai was still so polite. The other boxers at the gym were like Yamada had imagined. Bullies. Not really mean-spirited, but bullies none the less. It didn't surprise him. The way he was must seem like a huge sign saying: 'Please beat me up and humiliate me!' Ippo was strong, but polite and humble. The older one, Takamura, had parted ways with them at the station so he and Senpai had started walking home. On the way they picked up hamburgers and stopped at the road-side to eat.

Ippo was gazing up at the sky. He must have been thinking about his spar. Senpai was so relaxed now...

"Senpai! You're amazing!"

"Not really." Ippo had turned and smiled at him. "I've just been lucky enough to have been given this chance." Senpai was so understanding... Yamada had something he wanted to get off his chest, and now seemed like the best time.

"S-Senpai...I...I...get beat up a lot. I don't make a good impression, and my family moves a lot. So, I'm always 'that weird, new kid'. When I saw Senpai's match on T.V. I was really impressed. The other fighter said such arrogant things, but Senpai's comments were just like a regular persons. Everyone was against you, but you won. You were so strong...I thought that if I...could just...be strong like you...that everything would be better... But now I've seen Aoki-san's and everyone else's matches...and your spar today...and I don't think I can do it. Senpai's strong, so you wouldn't know this feeling: running around, hiding, trying to avoid bullies..."

"Have you ever been called a worm?"

"Huh?"

"Told you smell like worms? That it's disgusting to have you around? Picked on and set apart from the moment you entered elementary school? That lasted eleven years."

"Eleven Years!" From elementary school... that was such a long time! Did Senpai know someone like him? Was that why he was being so kind? "Such a pathetic life, is there really such a person?" Ippo's expression dropped...Was it Senpai? "B-But..." From elementary school for eleven years would be... "Until sophomore year? Did something happen then?"

"He found something he liked, and it became his life. He was so consumed by it that nothing else was that important. It seemed to last forever. Then he was given a gift. The ability to do what he now dreamed of doing. Thanks to that, you could say he became strong."

"D-Did he stop getting picked on? What was it?"

"Yeah, it was all thanks to boxing." Ippo smiled. "Still, it seems like such a long time ago."

"Senpai? Makunochi with the Dynamite Punch was called a worm?"

"Yeah. We're not really that different. All it takes is effort."

"SENPAI!" Yamada was overcome. His Senpai was even more amazing than he thought.

* * *

Okita had come to the Nakadai Gym because he admired Date. The champion was his idol, but he'd always been trying to catch up. Then Makunochi came along. He was a year behind Okita. They'd both won the Rookie King Tournament in the respective debuts, but everyone was so much more excited about Makunochi's victory. Even Date-san. All this time he'd been chasing after his senpai, and now out of no-where Makunochi appeared. Date-san requested him as a sparring opponent for his preparation to challenge the world. It was annoying. He'd made it to 5th place in the rankings, but Makunochi somehow was more popular than him. There was no way he could accept being weaker. He had the best senpai in the best gym. He'd studied Date-san's fighting style. He could even use the cork-screw blow! His opponent dropping out of their next fight was the perfect opprotunity, and Makunochi had accepted! Tonight was the night he'd show Date-san how far he'd come!

"Tonight we have a match between the recent Rookie King Tournament winner and last years!"

"In the Red corner, weighing 125 and 3/4 pounds, 11 fights, 11 wins, 6 knockouts! Nakadai Gym's Okita Keigo!"

"In the Blue corner, weighing 125 pounds, 7 fights, 7 wins, 7 knockouts! Kamogawa Gym's Makunochi Ippo!"

"Both of them are un-defeated, but that will end tonight! Who will be victorious? Will it be Okita: the technical boxer who can in-fight? Or will Makunochi, the hard-puncher with the Dynamite Fists prevail? We're about to find out!"

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rang and Okita left his corner. He'd rush Makunochi and gain the rhythm with the first clean hit! Ippo had also charged the instant the bell rung. The two boxers met in the middle of the ring. Okita's jab was blocked, but he swayed to the side of the one thrown by Makunochi. The two boxers each threw a flurry of blows at the other one, but there were no clean hits. Makunochi's punches weren't fast enough to hit him, but the challenger's head swaying and peek-a-boo stance were frustratingly hard to get around. Makunochi pressed in closer and threw a short punch to the body. At this range Okita couldn't avoid it completely, so he lowered his guard to block. Even through his gloves he could feel the power of the punch. It stung his hands and knocked his breath away. Another followed. This one lifted him off the ground, and the hook that came next sent him staggering backwards. Even through his blocks he'd still taken damage from those 3 punches.

Makunochi charged in, trying to press his advantage. Okita was ready though. One strong punch could stop him cold. Makunochi hadn't gotten to see this in his fight with his senpai. He wouldn't know the power of the cork-screw blow. Okita's timing was perfect. His rotation was spot on. The punch connected cleanly against Makunochi's forehead. He hadn't even tried to block! Somehow the punch felt weak though. His fist was at an odd angle. The rotation of the cork-screw blow hadn't finished. His arm wasn't fully extended. Makunochi hadn't blocked, instead he'd leaned forward as he dashed in. It had thrown off the timing of his punch. The power was reduced both by the incorrect hitting point, and the way it had stopped the cork-screw's spin. All these thoughts raced through Okita's mind. At the same time he saw Makunochi swinging a large right hook at him. The punch hadn't slowed Ippo down. Okita couldn't block that kind of power, but he was out of position to dodge.

*THUNK!*

Okita's hearing failed him. The roar of the crowd had been replaced by a buzzing sound. He didn't know what was going on when his face felt two quick impacts. They were quickly followed by an incredible agony in his stomach. The liver blow from Makunochi drove all the air from his diaphragm. His body wanted to vomit, but there was no food in his stomach. At the same time he desperately needed air, but his lungs wouldn't work. In front of him, Makunochi was bringing down his right fist...

*...*

*eee*

*eee* Okita couldn't make out what he was hearing. Had that punch ruptured his ear drum?

*eee* He turned his head. As soon as he raised his left ear off the mat, the low rumble grew louder and he could make out sounds over the buzzing in his right ear.

"6!" He'd been knocked down already. They didn't exaggerate Makunochi's 'Dynamite Punch'.

"7!" "OKITA!" From the side it sounded like his senpai's voice.

"8!" Okita had to get up. He had to show his idol how far he'd come!

"9!" His body wouldn't listen to him. He could feel the mat underneath his arms and legs as he tried to tell them to raise himself back up, but all they did was spasm.

"10!" The referee was waving his hands. He then motioned to the side. Okita knew that he'd lost. Trying to catch up to Date's shadow had been too much for him.

K.O. Time 1st Round: 21 seconds

Macunochi Ippo Victory

National Feather Weight Ranking: 5th

8-0-0 8 K.O.s


	11. Class-A Tournament - Part 1

Class-A Tournament - Part 1

It was June 30th, his birthday. Knowing his sister, there'd be a cake waiting for him at their house or something equally frivolous. Mashiba Ryou glowered as he walked home. Even though he had to go up a weight-class, it wasn't like he could eat something like that. If he could've maintained his weight while working his warehouse job, then he'd still be a feather-weight. A chance to get back at that little punk Makunochi: it wouldn't happen now. For how long did he have his eye on Kumi? At least her virtue wasn't at risk. He'd watched every "date" they had. If Makunochi had so much as laid a finger on her...

But he hadn't, and Kumi was happier now-a-days. Annoyingly happy. Insisting that Makunochi was HIS friend! Ryou loved his little sister, but her lack of awareness drove him insane. The tall boxer turned onto the street where his house was. Riding the train would've been quicker, but walking was cheaper. They only had so much money coming in, and paying for two rail passes was an extravagance they couldn't afford. Kumi needed one. She wasn't a boxer. Walking so many miles every day would be too hard on her. The trains were full of perverts, but it was still safer for her.

At his house he noticed that the lights inside were off, but there was still a faint flicker that could be seen through the windows. Kumi had the lights off, but had bought him a cake and lit the candles already. With a sigh, Ryou opened the door.

"Surprise!" *pop* String fell on top of his head while confetti hit him in the face.

"S-Surprise." That voice! He was here with his sister in the dark! When the lights came on, Mashiba saw his little sister by the switch. Makunochi was sitting in the living room with a guilty look on his face.

"Ryou-nii-san! Happy Birthday!"

"Come and sit down."

"Now blow out the candles and make a wish." Ryou knew what he'd wish for, if such a childish game would actually work.

"..."

"RYOU! Blow them out!" Mashiba had been glaring at the uninvited guest across the table. However, at his sister's insistence, he took a deep breath and blew out the 21 candles that adorned the white frosting of the cake.

"Here, a piece for you. And a piece for you. And a piece for me." Kumi had cut 3 pieces, and had served both him and Makunochi. She was chatting happily away, but Mashiba barely paid attention. Makunochi had taken a small bite, but Ryou couldn't afford even that. "Oh! I forgot the juice! I'll be right back!"

"I-I'll go with you!" Makunochi had started to stand up. Like hell he'd go out with her at night!

"No, no, no. I'll be fine. You and big brother can talk about boxing while I'm away!" She smiled as she went out the door. It was so transparent.

"S-So...uh...Kumi-san says you went up a weight class."

"..." Of course she did.

"I-I'm glad I don't have to fight you again."

"..." Of course you are.

"A-Are you going to enter the C-Class-A tournament?"

"..." Of course he was.

"..." What? Did he run out of things to say already?

"..." What was taking Kumi so long?

* * *

"E-Excuse me. You're Makunochi right?" Ippo nodded. It was one of the men that had come with the Kumiko Morita. Ippo had wanted to avoid talking with the idol, but instead he found himself in the ring with her again. She had come to the Kamogawa Gym to do a story on boxers. It was going to air on TV, so Ippo couldn't miss it.

"Since it's hard seeing how tough a boxer is by watching, we've decided that I should experience some sparring! My opponent will be the upcoming hope, feather weight class 5th rank, Makunochi Ippo." Morita was in some exercise clothes with head gear and gloves. "Thank you very much!"

"Y-You're welcome." Ippo specifically had wanted to avoid this. He had to be at the gym to be interviewed, but since he had a girlfriend, talking with an idol didn't feel right.

Now he had to spar with her. Morita took her fighting stance, and Ippo could only marvel at how it looked even cuter than when he'd first seen it. There wasn't a good place to attack. Her face was no good, and her chest wouldn't work either. Ippo had learned that the hard way last time. While he was still at a loss for what to do, Morita attacked. Her blows were amateurish, and wide, but her very presence was a distraction. A small sound accompanied each punch she threw. Ippo swayed by habit, and dodged each one. He still had to attack at some point. The idol's attacks were growing more and more frantic, so Ippo reached out and touched her stomach after he ducked under a super wide hook. Morita doubled over and grimaced in pain.

"Morita-san!" Ippo hadn't put any power behind that punch. Could he have hurt her? Quickly he moved to check. In the background Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura were angrily shouting threats at him.

"Owwwwwwwww...*hee*hee* gotcha!"

"Huh?"

Kumiko's uppercut took him completely off-guard. The blow wasn't strong, but the surprise caused him to lose balance. With a dull thud, Ippo fell backwards to a sitting position.

"Yay! I got a knock-down!" Morita was jumping up and down and smiling. Ippo was about to get up to congratulate her when he was grabbed from the side and pulled out of the ring.

"I'm next!"

"No me!"

"I'm going to spar her!"

The gym was deteriorating into chaos again so Ippo excused himself. After another half hour of "sparring", Kumiko had started the interviews. Ippo was still nervous, but tried to answer as clearly and politely as he could.

"So what's your next goal?"

"W-well, I-I'd really like a chance to fight with Date-san again."

"Again?"

"I-I-I meant spar with him."

"Oh? So not a fight in the ring?"

"I just want to have a match with him while I can. Date's going to challenge the world, so if I don't get to fight him now...then I'll have missed my chance."

"What about the title?"

"T-The title? Well, honestly I hadn't thought that far ahead...sorry."

* * *

Today was the day of the pro-test. Yamada thought he'd passed the written part, but sparring was next. It was nerve-wracking. The other boxers all looked so confident in their abilities. A review might help, so he'd hung back in the bathroom. A jab. Sway to the left, then a hook. It was no use, he wasn't that good. Yamada remembered his first day at the gym. There had been a large number of applicants, and Takamura had made them all run for so long. When Senpai had passed him, he said that he knew Yamada could do it and to not give up. Senpai had always been there. An un-catchable figure out in front, but also a friend by his side helping. More than anything Yamada wanted to be helpful to Senpai. If he could only be a useful sparring partner, but Senpai had Kimura and Aoki to spar with. They were more experienced and in higher weight classes, so Yamada couldn't hope to perform better than they did. Senpai had also fought so many great boxers already. So to give him a good spar, Yamada had to at least perform nearly as well as his old opponents. Ozuma's hook, Hayami's speed, Mashiba's flicker, or Sendou's strength - there was no hope of matching any of them.

"Yamada."

"S-Senpai!" Senpai had come to the bathroom. Probably to check on him. Even while taking the pro-test he was causing Senpai to worry. "I thought I'd review a little."

"It'll be fine. You've worked hard. Trust in your training."

"Y-Yeah, but I'm still so far behind everyone."

"You may be behind people who've been doing this for years, but trust me you're definitely at the level for a professional."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Don't be fooled by the skill level of people who've been amateurs for years. They may have more practice, but the pro-ring is different. So let's go to the ring ok?" After they'd left the bathroom, Ippo continued talking. "Now breath deeply." They both did. "This will be more like a spar than a match, but there will be a few differences. First there's a referee, but don't worry about him. Concentrate on your opponent. Oh yeah, there's also some resin. You only want a little on the bottom of your feet. So be sure to not apply too much!"

"Ok Senpai!"

* * *

The door to Kamogawa's gym opened and his ranked boxers walked through.

"C-Coach..I-I did it!" Yamada was his typical shy self, but there was only one thing he could mean.

"I see! Then you passed! Wonderful!" As usual, Yagi was full of energy. For now there was something more pressing.

"Yagi-chan, do you have the copies ready?"

"I have them right here." Yagi passed sheets of paper out. "Yamada-kun just finished, so now it's your turns!"

"Good. Sendou entered." Ippo was studying the sheet.

"That's right. You're lucky to have so few competitors. There were more, but most dropped out when Volg signed up. Now there are just four others: Sendou Takeshi, Saeki Takuma, Suzuki Toshio, and Volg Zangief. You also have a first round buy. You and Saeki will fight in the semi-finals, and Volg will fight the winner between Sendou and Suzuki."

"W-Wow Senpai! I never expected to get to see a rematch between you and Sendou-san! But what about Mashiba-san?"

"He had to move up to the Junior Light bracket." Ippo replied immediately. Since the talk around the gym was he was seeing Mashiba's sister it wasn't a surprise he knew something like that. In fact, given the kid's timidness, having him fight his girlfriend's brother probably wouldn't have turned out very well.

"What? Why didn't you tell me something like that? That monster's in my bracket now? Ippo! How could you do this to MEEE?!" Kimura didn't seem to be taking the news very well. He'd grabbed the brat's shirt and was shaking him back and forth. After he'd calmed down a bit, Kimura and Aoki both lamented their brackets. Ippo seemed excited though.

"What's with all the sighing people! You two should learn something from Ippo." Takamura didn't have to worry about a tournament since he was already the champion. "I know! The weather's been nice, so lets go the annual training camp. It'll give the worthless weaklings some more confidence."

"I can go this time." "It sounds good." "It'll be a nice chance to increase our power." Kamogawa listened to everyone else agree to Takamura's idea. They wouldn't get any work done if he left them alone. Unless Yagi-chan was under the weather again, he'd be able to go with them and limit their shenanigans.

* * *

"Stop! Back to the center of the ring and do it again!"

Kimura sighed. The training trip hadn't been very much fun so far. With the coach around there weren't any opportunities for...recreation. Sure, they got a nice view when they did their beach running, but that was over way too soon. Ippo had the 'Speed Star' Saeki as his next opponent, so Kimura was spending a lot of time sparring with the kid. The two of them returned to the center of the ring.

*ding*ding*ding*

The coach rung the bell and Ippo dashed forward. He was quick. Kimura fired off some jabs to try and keep him at bay, but Ippo was constantly weaving his upper body. This time Kimura tried circling to the right. He was taller than Ippo, and had a better reach, but as soon as he started his counter-clockwise movement Ippo had cut him off. There was just enough room between him and the ropes to tempt someone into moving past, but Kimura wasn't falling for that trick again. Ippo excelled at straight dashes, but his ability to shift to the right or the left was amazing. It must be because he had such a short center of gravity.

Kimura threw some more punches, but none of them hit. A feint to the right was followed by his real movement back and to the left. Ippo wasn't fooled. His kouhai charged forward at an angle and claimed more of the ring. Even with the 16 oz gloves, Ippo's punches hurt! Kimura didn't want to get into his range. The next second he felt a now familiar feeling at his back. He'd been cornered. Ippo advanced slowly. Could he make a break to the left? The right? Trying to time his movement to when Ippo was swaying to the other side had seemed like a good idea, but the last time it had resulted in him getting hit with a body blow that Ippo had thrown in the middle of cutting him off.

"All right that's enough!" Oh, thank you coach! Kimura silently apologized for regretting that the old man had come with them.

"Thanks for the spars Kimura-san!" Ippo had removed his head gear and was giving him a shallow bow.

"No problem Ippo. Your ring sense is really amazing!" Most boxers that just charged forward were super easy to fake out, but Ippo hadn't been falling for anything. It seemed that as soon as Kimura had thrown a punch that Ippo was suddenly in his space.

"It's only because we spar so often. I've gotten a pretty good sense of your rhythm by now."

"Heh, if only I could get a sense of yours."

"I'm just really grateful to have you to spar against! Saeki is a really skilled out-boxer, so getting to practice against someone like you really helps!" It was hard to be upset with just how easily Ippo had managed to corner him all those times when he was so ernest with his gratitude. "Who's your first opponent in the tournament? Perhaps I could try mimicking his style or something."

"Nah, he's an out-boxer. I'll work with Aoki. It would be nice to have someone who was an out-boxer here aside from me though." At the very least they could spend time with Ippo and try and curtail his in-human stamina.

"The coach is going to work with Yamada and Aoki now, so do you want to do some road work?"

"Sure!" Now running on the beach was something that Kimura could get into. He and Ippo went and got changed. "You're not wearing those are you?" Ippo was putting on his leg weights.

"Why not?" If he had to ask...

"Just don't run beside me ok? I don't want the girls to associate us. Some of us don't have girlfriends!"

"O-OK..."

The fact that Ippo was doing his road work wearing those things was pretty impressive. He was also able to run in the sand pretty well, but there were limits. Just looking at him made Kimura tired. It was also strange to see something like that at the beach. Ippo had always been pretty oblivious to a lot of things Kimura was sure that he'd run around the beach dragging a tire on a rope if he could find one. How did he manage to get a girlfriend in the first place!

* * *

Ippo had finished helping train Yamada. His kouhai was going to be busy picking up tennis balls for a while, so Ippo decided to work on the new technique he'd discovered. It had all finally become clear in the Sendou fight. The key to a strong punch was to put your weight behind it. The method to sway to the side of an opponent was to shift your weight. If you combined those two things you'd be able to attack while dodging. Ippo had been practicing the motion for months already. Dashing through the un-even bars at the park had originally helped him with ducking. He kept it up to aid in his weight-shifting, but the back and forth motion of that combined with punches was exactly what he'd wanted. After the Rookie King Final, Ippo had gotten the motion down when Kamogawa-sensei saw him practicing in the gym. His coach had talked to him about a fighter named 'Jack Dempsey'.

Dempsey had been a boxer in America in the 1920s. He'd had more than 50 knock outs over the corse of his career as a heavyweight boxer. His most famous move was the 'Dempsey Roll'. It consisted of moving the head and torso in a figure 8 pattern. This was an extension of the swaying that Ippo already employed. The motion served to make him a harder to hit target. In the middle of the movement a hook was thrown. By alternating hands, a continuous barrage of high-power punches resulted. In addition, the figure 8 motion was a vast improvement over a standard side-to-side movement. It brought the body lower, providing the defensive aspect. More importantly, the curved motion preserved momentum. While you could throw a right hook by shifting to the left and be in a position to shift back to the right with a left hook, it was up to the boxer himself to halt his movement. This would ultimately limit how many punches could be thrown since each would cost an enormous amount of stamina. In contrast, the Dempsey Roll let haymakers be thrown constantly without nearly the same detrimental effect.

Ippo felt proud of coming up with a champion-level technique on his own. He'd been "learning" punches and other moves almost instantaneously thanks to his previous exposure to them. This was something different. It was a move that he'd developed without any advantage from Tree-sama's assistance. Kamogawa-sensei had warned him about using the move. The Dempsey Roll put a lot of strain on the lower body. If Ippo wanted to use it then he'd have to train more. In addition to his road work, Ippo was performing all sorts of exercises designed to strengthen his legs - squats, lunges, weights, swimming. The presence of the ocean to swim in and sand to run on was really quite convenient.

In the gym he was only allowed to use the Dempsey Roll for 5 minutes every day. Coach was right. After each session with the heavy bag, Ippo felt sore in muscles he didn't even know he had. Ippo would master the Dempsey. It might be the technique that would give him an advantage in his match with Date. Of course, he still had to earn that match, and the Class-A tournament was filled with incredibly powerful boxers.

* * *

"S-Senpai?"

"What is it Yamada-kun?"

"I thought we could do some sparing now."

"Sure. Let me get ready. I'll be in the ring in a bit."

"O-OK!"

Yamada got in the ring after putting on his headgear and gloves. He nervously went over the fight to come in his head. His Senpai had a big tournament coming up, and Yamada hoped he could be of at least a little help. Jab. Jab. Sway. Even though he and Senpai had sparred several times in the past, this time made him feel more nervous than the pro test had. At that time, the only thing that he could screw up was his own life. Failing to help Ippo out would be much worse.

"Let's go!" Senpai was ready.

The two boxers approached. Senpai was swaying like always with a peek-a-boo stance. Yamada assumed a more aggressive stance with his arms parted slightly. Slowly he inched forward. When he was at mid-range he threw the punch he'd been practicing. His left fist rose up and to the right. Throwing the Smash was more difficult than he'd first thought. A 3/4's uppercut seems like an easy concept, but in reality the mechanics were very difficult. With a hook, you threw your arm horizontally across your body. To make it stronger and put your weight into it, you needed to shift to the side. For an uppercut, the punch was thrown vertically aiming at the stomach or head. The weight shift that accompanied it was forward and then to the back. His smash wasn't very good. He couldn't put much power into it. Trying to shift his weight forward and back while also shifting to the side was too much. Yamada could make the motion, but it lacked power. For sparring he hoped it wouldn't matter.

*thump*

His fist connected. It wasn't the first time he'd scored a hit on Senpai, but it wasn't a common occurrence. He couldn't feel any power behind his punch, but that didn't matter. What he wanted was to give Senpai practice in avoiding the smash. Ippo might go up against Sendou again. Takamura had told him that the reason Ippo had taken such a bad hit in the 2nd round wasn't because he made a mistake. His choice in a counter was perfect, but without any practice it couldn't have succeeded. He wasn't as skilled or as strong as Sendou-san, but he could still afford his Senpai some practice. Ippo took a step back and smiled. He lowered his guard to the same one that he'd used to try and counter the smash in his match with Sendou-san. With nearly identical stances, the two boxers approached each other and continued the spar.

* * *

"Hi mom."

"I know you said I didn't need to call every night, but I wanted to see if everything was alright with the typhoon."

"That's good."

"Uh-huh."

"Yep, the training camp has been really fun. I think I've gotten stronger! Yamada-kun too! He's really progressing! How's Umezawa-kun doing?"

"I'm glad."

"Yes, I called Kumi-san yesterday."

"Actually I got her brother...Well, I did get to talk to her so it was nice."

"Yes mother..."

"Yes mother..."

"Yes mother..."

"I know it's strange for a son to call home every day, and it's normal to call your girlfriend rather than your mom...but I just wanted to make sure everything was going ok."

"I'll see you tomorrow. I love you too." Ippo hung up the phone.

* * *

"Now, out of the blue corner, a man who has 8 consecutive victories! A man proclaimed to have the most destructive punches in his weight class! The immensely powerful: MAKUNOCHI IPPO!"

"And entering from the opposite corner, the former Japanese National Amateur Champion, now a professional boxer! He's called the fastest in the boxing world! The Speed Star: SAEKI TAKUMA!"

"We will now continue the Class A tournament! The Feather-Weight Division Semi-Finals! This match is about to be underway!"

"In the red corner, Hailing from the Kawaii Gym, weighing in at 124 and 1/2 pounds: Saeki Takuma!"

"His opponent, in the blue corner, from the Kamogawa Gym, he weighs 125 pounds: Makunochi Ippo!"

"The match is starting. Will Makunochi's power win or will Saeki's speed prevail?!"

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rung and the match started. Saeki moved out to the center of the ring. The two boxers approached each other at a controlled pace. Makunochi was swaying side to side with his hands raised in a peek-a-boo style. Actually it was slightly different than what Saeki had seen from his tapes. The powerhouse boxer's gloves weren't even. His right hand was raised up slightly higher than his left. Saeki could only see Ippo's left eye as it glared at him. Makunochi took the first move. He approached at a measured speed, probably trying to get at the right distance to dash in. A jab. It was pretty well polished. Fast. Not much movement beforehand. Still far too slow and straight forward.

Saeki dodged to the left. Makunochi followed. He wasn't that slow, but only one of them was known as the 'Speed Star'. Saeki circled around him, dodging the jab that came every few seconds. There was a pressure at his back. The corner! Makunochi had positioned him without him realizing it. Now the charge would come. Now he'd get the thrill of going against real punches. The thrill that didn't exist except in the pro ring. Instead Makunochi jabbed. It wasn't even a continuos jab. He seemed more concerned with keeping his guard up than throwing punches. Even though his expression had changed, Saeki guessed he was just the timid little thing he'd met at the weigh in.

A dash out of the corner, a dodge, and a sway. Saeki had escaped, but Makunochi was right on top of him again. The kid had a great ring sense. He repeatedly managed to trap his opponent in the corner, but his attacks were a token gesture at best.

*ding*ding*ding*

The round was over. Saeki went back to his corner.

"Well he won that round, but only because you didn't throw any punches."

"Yeah, I was expecting something more than jabs."

"Even though he has twice the number of professional fights as you, he's still far less experienced I'd say."

"Perhaps. Either way it's time to go to the next gear this round. I'll vanish from his sight."

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rang and Saeki met Ippo in the center of the ring again. Ippo still had that turtling guard up and that annoying sway. It didn't matter though, he wouldn't be able to see the flickers. Saeki would unleash a flurry at his right eye and... Makunochi's eye was completely guarded. His plan to use the flicker's whipping motion to cause swelling wouldn't work if he couldn't target Ippo's eye... Wait, if he couldn't see his eye, then he already had a blind spot! He'd go up a gear and apply pressure. Once Makunochi lowered his guard so he could keep track of him, then he'd aim for the eye.

One. One, two, three.

One, two.

One. One, two, three, four.

One. One.

Ippo's defense was a tough nut to crack, but Saeki had gotten his rhythm. Over and over his punches were thrown. As he got into the flow, Ippo's dodging and swaying had become easier to read. Makunochi refused to drop his guard, but Saeki could now throw punches around his blocks. It was as if his eye was swollen shut, but he guarded his eye while taking punches to the rest of his body. If it hadn't resulted in the same out-come, Saeki would've thought that Ippo had known of his plan for the fight from the very beginning. As it was, he could hit Makunochi at will, and with full-strength punches, not just jabs.

3rd gear.

One. One, two, three.

One, two.

One. One, two, three, four.

One. One.

One, two. One, two. One, two, three.

It was completely one-sided at this point. Did Makunochi think he'd tire out in 6 rounds? He could maintain this speed for an entire match.

One. One, two, three.

One, two.

One. One, two, three...*THUD*

He'd been to the side. He was in Makunochi's blind spot, but something had struck him in the stomach. The pain caused him to almost double over.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooo

It'd taken half of the 2nd round, but Ippo had finally matched his rhythm to Saeki's. Now he'd landed a punch. Saeki'd recover if he gave him a chance, but that wasn't going to happen. Ippo dashed forward, following up with the right body-blow he'd landed. Left, right, left, left. Small quick blows to the gut. He had to knock out Saeki's legs. The Speed Star threw a hook, but Ippo was expecting it. He ducked underneath it to the left while hammering a right body blow into his opponent's stomach. Unlike the last ones, this punch had all his weight behind it. He reversed direction, and threw a full-strength liver blow. It lifted Saeki's body off the ground by a few inches. Ippo reversed direction again, coming down with an overhand right, but Saeki was already on the mat.

"Go to a neutral corner!"

"1!"

"2!

"3!" Saeki was trying to grab the ropes, but he'd collapsed facing away from them. He wasn't moving his legs.

"4!" With a grimace Saeki began to try and stand, but as soon as he bent at the stomach he let out a cry of pain and stopped.

"5!"

"6!"

"7!" Saeki began to move again.

"8!" Slowly he rose to his feet, but halfway up his legs gave out and he went falling back down to the mat. His hands had grabbed the ropes though.

"9!" Saeki was pulling himself up.

"10!" Saeki was now vertical, but only due to the ropes. He wasn't on his feet, and he definitely wasn't in a fighting stance.

K.O. Time 2nd Round: 2 minutes 41 seconds

Macunochi Ippo Victory

Class-A Tournament Semi-Finals

9-0-0 9 K.O.s


	12. Class-A Tournament - Part 2

Class-A Tournament - Part 2

"Senpai!"

"Yo! Over here!"

"Takamura-san! Yamada-kun!" It'd taken Ippo longer to get to the audience stands from backstage than he'd expected. There'd been an...unfortunate accident with his zipper. He remembered doing the same thing in the past, but after a different fight. Ippo prayed that such things weren't up to fate.

"You missed it Ippo."

"What?"

"Sendou knocked out Suzuki in less than two minutes."

"Really?"

"It was pretty impressive." Ippo heard a familiar voice coming from behind Takamura. "But, you showed me one hell of a fight also."

"Date-san!"

"It looks like I'll be fighting a strong opponent one way or the other. However, we aren't enemies yet, so I'll just say 'Congratulations'."

"T-Thank you Sir!"

"At any rate, I've seen what I came here to watch so I'll be heading out. Some of us can't party all night anymore." Date was grinning and nudging Takamura in the stomach. He then gave a short wave and walked off.

"The champion sure is impressive."

"You're right Yamada-kun. He's really strong!"

"T-Takamura-san was saying we're going to a karaoke club tonight if Aoki-san and Kimura-san win!"

"If they don't win then we'll go somewhere else to have fun. Just 'cause they're losers isn't any reason to not celebrate Ippo's victory!" As usual Takamura was taking great delight in the prospect of tormenting his two oldest kouhais.

"I'm sure Aoki-san and Kimura-san will win! Karaoke sounds like fun! Have you ever been Yamada-kun?"

"N-No..."

"Then lets be sure to have a great time!" That was right. It was right around this time that Yamada-kun had left before. Ippo swore to himself that he'd make sure his kouhai had a wonderful night.

* * *

"Thank you for everything." Yamada bowed to Kamogawa-sensei. Today was his final day. He'd helped his mother pack last night, so all that was left was to say good-bye to his trainers. His friends wouldn't be here since they had matches last night, but that would make things easier.

"Right. Take care."

"Yamada-kun, everyone is waiting for you downstairs."

"What? Isn't everyone taking the day off..."

"It's your farewell party." Yagi-san was smiling.

"F-Farewell party? So everyone knows about me moving away..." And they were actually giving him a party?

"They should be just about ready now. Come on, get going!"

"S-Sir!" Yamada hadn't wanted to tell his friends he was moving. He'd thought that seeing them would be too hard, but now that he was going to say one last goodbye he felt excited. Last night had been wonderful, the best last-memory that he could've hoped for. His senpai had even sung the first song at the karaoke club. Yamada had expected that he'd have to stand up in front of everybody first since he had the least seniority. Instead Ippo had seemed to go out of his way to make him relaxed. It was exactly the type of thing his senpai always did. "Sorry! Thanks for waiting!" Yamada felt the smile come to his face as he rounded the corner of the stairwell.

"Finally!" Takamura, Aoki, Kimura, and Ippo were in the boxing ring. There wasn't any cake or confetti. "We've already warmed up, so hurry up and get changed."

"Isn't this a farewell party...?"

"It is! But, Kamogawa-style!"

"You know the 100 man spar in karate right? It's basically the same thing. You'll spar with us one at a time." "It has a lot more meaning than normal farewell parties. The memories are much heavier because you get them engraved into your body." Kimura and Aoki explained what Takamura had meant by 'Kamogawa-style'.

"We'll be your 4 opponents. So get dressed and enter the ring Yamada-kun."

"Thank you so much. I'll never forget this!" This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him.

"It won't mean anything if we aren't serious. So it'll be tough." Uhm... Could he really spar against his senpais if they were serious? Yamada quickly went to the locker room to change.

"S-Senpai!" Ippo had come running in.

"I'll be your second for the first 3 rounds! Don't worry! You've really grown strong Yamada-kun!"

"I'll give it everything! I don't want to be forgotten either." Yamada put on his head-gear and entered the ring.

"That's the spirit! Focus on defense at the beginning though."

"You ready for me?!" His first opponent was Takamura? That...that...wasn't remotely fair.

"W-Well, start with trying to withstand one punch?" Senpai's advice seemed a bit optimistic. "A-Anyways, do your best Yamada-kun!"

Yamada wasn't sure how many punches he'd taken. One second he was approaching the national champion, and the next he was flung backwards. If he had to guess, it was a single hook or straight that'd knocked him down.

"Thank you very much!"

"I'm next!" Aoki had entered the ring.

"OK! Against Aoki-san constantly attack. If you let up you'll be drawn into his pace! He's unorthodox, so trying to predict what he'll do won't work."

"Y-Yes!"

He lasted longer against Aoki. A sudden back step of the older boxer was followed by him extending his left arm to the side. Yamada didn't know what kind of punch that could signal, until Aoki's right took him in the head. After that, maintaing the pace proved impossible and he was knocked down after a few more seconds.

"Kimura-san is a traditional out boxer. Get in close. Don't let him dictate the distance!"

"Y*heh*Yes."

Yamada felt he was doing a decent job against Kimura. He managed to get close and throw some punches. They were blocked, but he was slowly pressing forward and keeping Kimura from gaining distance. In the end, a counter had took him out and ended the 3rd of his good-bye matches.

"S-Senpai?" Ippo wasn't in the corner anymore.

"Come on Yamada-kun. Let's have a good match." At the other end of the ring Ippo had put on some training gloves.

"Y-Yes!" This would be his last spar with Senpai. His last chance to be useful.

The two boxers had adopted identical peek-a-boo styles, but when Yamada lowered his into a more aggressive stance that could throw a smash, Ippo followed. It was time to show him the results of all his training. His smash was countered, and then Ippo dashed in. Yamada couldn't hit him, even at such a close range because of the weaving. A right jab was ducked under, and Ippo had moved into his space. There wasn't any way to dodge or block. The liver blow hit, and it felt like his stomach had been blasted from his body.

The next thing Yamada knew, he was bent over on the mat with a metal bucket in front of him. An unpleasant odor wafted up from what he could only assume was his vomit.

"E-Excuse me." Yamada made his way to the showers. As he sat with the water running over his body, he felt the swelling and bruises that were already forming. The one Takamura had given him. The one from Aoki. The one from Kimura. The largest and most painful of them all was on his right side, below his rib cage. The final liver blow from his first real senpai. Yamada didn't know when he started crying, the shower made the tears hard to notice, but the short sobbing breaths just came out. He'd really miss it here.

* * *

Ippo didn't have to fight in the next round of the tournament. Due to the way that the slots had been decided, he'd be fighting in the finals verses either Volg-san or Sendou-san. Aoki and Kimura did have matches in this round. Last time they'd come so close to winning, only to have victory slip from their grasps. Ippo still needed to train his legs to withstand the strain the Dempsey Roll put on them, but he wanted to help his senpais however he could.

At Takamura's he'd gotten the fight tapes for their opponents. Trying to mimic their styles to help Aoki and Kimura spar may or may not have wound up being helpful before. Ippo felt more confident in his general boxing knowledge and skill now. He also didn't have any better ideas for how to be useful. Kimura's opponent liked to throw power punches. Ippo used a wider motion rather than his normal compact swings. Aoki's opponent was more of an orthodox out-boxer. Ippo still couldn't out-box well, but he could take a greater distance against Aoki.

Ippo wouldn't know how'd they do until after their matches. The bout between Sendou and Volg was happening first. The announcer was almost as excited as the crowd. It really was like a wolf vs. a tiger. Even from his seat in the back row, Ippo could feel the intensity of the two boxers. They circled one another in the ring. They had almost the same reach, and both were hard punchers. Getting into range to hit would mean that you were in range also. Since both could throw a one-hit punch, it was unsurprisingly tense.

Sendou made the first move. He threw a jab, but put his weight behind it so it was more like a straight. Volg ducked to the side. If he was intimidated by the power Sendou'd just displayed, he didn't show it. Instead he returned fire with a long upper from his crouch. Sendou stepped back to avoid the hit, but his backwards momentum only lasted an instant. With surprising speed, Sendou advanced while throwing a flurry of blows. Volg dodged and blocked them all, and then retaliated with a straight of his own. It connected cleanly and Sendou was forced back. Volg pressed his advantage and drove Sendou to the ropes. The Naniwa Tiger was pinned and was taking several clean blows. In the middle of being hit, he threw a smash. Even though he couldn't have seen where Volg was, the smash connected cleanly. Ippo cringed. He knew the power behind Sendou's sunday-punch first hand.

Volg was driven back. Sendou was starting to get his rhythm, and when Volg ducked under another straight Sendou connected with another smash. Volg staggered back, but he didn't fall. Ippo didn't know that Volg was that tough. The two boxers met in the center of the ring, only to be separated by the referee when the bell rang. Ippo could barely contain himself. This was an amazing match! Watching both Sendou and Volg made him afraid, but somehow envious.

"They're both doing well." Takamura commented from behind him.

"Yeah, they're both amazing. I can't see either of them losing."

"I think Volg has the advantage right now. He took a few of Sendou's best and stayed standing. This fight won't be decided with a lucky punch."

"Volg-san is really impressive, but so is Sendou-san..."

The 2nd round started with Sendou taking the offense. Volg avoided his attacks, and connected with his retaliatory punch. The Russian boxer drove Sendou back to the corner, but even while being attacked, Sendou's punches were alive. Volg threw a hook, but even as it connected Sendou hit back with a body-blow. His offense was short-lived though, Volg recovered and regained his tempo. This back and forth lasted through the 4th round. Volg was landing far more punches than Sendou, but the Naniwa Tiger had scored several of his own. Once in both the 3rd round and the 4th Sendou had been knocked down. Both times this had resulted from a White Fang. Volg had used his combo a few other times, every one of which had done serious damage to Sendou. At the end of the 4th round Sendou connected with another body-blow, this time Volg didn't recover as quickly as he had in the first few rounds. The smash that followed knocked The Wolf down. It was the first down of the match for Volg, and Ippo was surprised. The Russian boxer had been dominating the fight so far. Volg got to his feet at the count of 8, and the bell signaled the end of the round before the fight could continue.

"It's not surprising that Volg-san was the Amateur World Champion."

"You think so? They don't in-fight in the Amateurs much."

"Really?"

"Yeah, since a knockdown is only worth as many points as a clean hit, not many boxers aim for KOs. I wonder if this is the way a person who's had more than 200 amateur matches fights." Takamura had furrowed his brow.

"What's wrong."

"I was just thinking. Volg hasn't had many professional bouts. He may have the stamina to go for 10 rounds against an out-boxer, but verses someone like Sendou... Do you think he had experience in fighting a long time while taking such strong blows?"

"T-Then that down?"

"Yeah. I think Volg might be running out of stamina at this point. Sendou still looks pretty fresh, so we might have just seen the turning point of the match."

The 5th round proved the truth of Takamura's words. Volg took the initiative, but the first body blow that Sendou landed took the wind out of his sails. It soon resulted in another knockdown. After that, the momentum was on Sendou's side. Even though they weren't in Okinawa the crowd was chanting for the Japanese fighter. Volg landed a White Fang and reversed the momentum, but in the end it wasn't enough. A series of smashes from the Naniwa Tiger brought The Wolf to the ground. This time Volg couldn't get up. The match was Sendou's.

The crowd went berserk. The noise was overwhelming. In the center of the ring Sendou scanned the audience. His eyes stopped at Ippo. He was so far away, but Ippo knew Sendou was looking right at him. The two of them would be fighting in the finals. After a few seconds Sendou nodded, then turned and left the ring. The cheering died down after that and the next match started. It was Kimura's turn. Unfortunately history seemed to repeat itself. For 10 rounds Kimura fought, but in the end the decision was a draw. Ippo's senpai didn't have enough stamina for the final round and lost. Aoki was also beaten. The match had gone exactly as it had before: his frog punch was anticipated. After being floored, Aoki had managed to turn the match into a slug-fest, but the damage he'd accumulated was too much. It was strange to come down from the high of seeing such great boxers as Volg and Sendou fight, knowing that he'd be going up against the winner, only to watch his senpais, his friends try so hard, but ultimately fail in their goal. Ippo felt very somber on his way home.

* * *

Kumi walked down the street with her friend Tomiko. It was a Wednesday, but the two of them had the day off. She'd met the older woman at the hospital, and the two of them got along pretty well. Working at the hospital meant long shifts and strange hours. She still got two days off a week, but when those days were she generally wouldn't know until the last moment. This week the two of them shared a day off, so Tomiko-san had wanted to do something together. When Kumi mentioned that she had planned on going to the pool to visit Ippo-san Tomiko seemed very excited.

"So I finally get to meet the professional boxer that Kumi-chan has for a boyfriend. Your brother's a boxer too right?"

"Yep. Both of them are in a tournament right now and working hard, so I'd thought I'd visit Ippo-san today and cheer him on."

"Why is he taking time off to swim?"

"Oh, he's there for training. Something with swimming helping the muscles he wants to improve. Also, the water resistance improves the effectiveness of some of his other exercises."

"So do lots of boxers swim?"

"Sorry, I don't really know. Ippo-san has been doing it for a little while now, but Ryou-nii-san doesn't even know how to swim."

"From Kumi-chan's point of view 50% of boxers do it eh? *hee*hee*hee*" Tomiko giggled, but she did have a point. Kumi didn't know if this was a usual training method or not. "Do you think there will be any OTHER boxers there?"

"We're almost there, so I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Kumi smiled. The older nurse seemed excited about the possibility of meeting a boxer.

The couple turned the corner and found the entrance to the swimming club. Admission cost a few hundred yen, but Kumi and Ryou were doing better financially now that she was a full-time nurse rather than an intern. So they could afford it. Ryou still scrimped and saved every yen he could get his hands on, but this was less than the price of a meal so Kumi didn't feel that wasteful.

"Oh! Is that Ippo over there? I didn't think he'd be that tall. Or have such a daring haircut!"

"No, that's not him. That guy isn't even swimming. I wonder why he's here."

"I bet I know..." Tomiko had a knowing look in her eye as she glanced at the tall man with the pompadour.

The water in front of the out of place man suddenly exploded. Three people jumped out straight up, then ducked back underneath the water. A few seconds later they repeated that same move. Kumi noticed that the one of them was Ippo-san, even though he was wearing a water cap that covered up his usually messy hair.

"Let's go get changed. We'll surprise him." Tomiko nodded her accent. The two of them went to the changing room and emerged a few minutes later. The swimsuit that Tomiko had chosen was...daring. Her friend was well-endowed and liked to flaunt that fact.

"Hey there. What are you doing in this place?" Tomiko also was so much braver. Going right up the the tall stranger.

"Huh? Oh! Well I'm here *gah!*" The pompadour man's expression had gone from surprise to animalistic to surprise again as he turned around and his gaze traveled upwards until it rested on Tomiko's face. He quickly turned his head and motioned at the water. "I'm with those guys."

"Oh? So you know Ippo-san?"

"Eh? Hey! It's Mashiba's little sister. Here to see Ippo I bet!"

"I'm sorry have we met?" Kumi didn't recognize this person, but he seemed to know her and Ippo.

"GAH-HA-HA-HA! I'm Ippo's senpai! I taught him everything he knows about boxing!"

"So you're a boxer?" Tomiko had gotten close to him.

"*Gah!* I mean...yeah...but so are those two! Let me introduce you! Ippo! Aoki! Kimura!"

"What is it Takumura?"

"Get up here. We have some visitors."

The three boxers climbed out of the water. Ippo looked at her, but then he quickly turned his head. He was breathing heavily from the exercise, but Kumi thought she saw his cheeks redden. How cute!

"Hi Ippo-san! I hope you don't mind that I dropped in. I brought my friend from work."

"N-Not at all! I'm glad to see you Kumi-san! T-That s-s-swim-s-suit if very nice!"

"Thank you!" It was a pretty plain one-piece, nothing like Tomiko's suit. It was very sweet of Ippo to compliment it. "It's very sweet of you to say!"

"So this is the girlfriend. You're Mashiba's little sister right?"

"Yes?"

"Say, do you think you could talk to him about going up another weight class?"

"Kimura! I don't want that monst...Mashiba in my weight class!"

"So all three of you are boxers?" Kumi could swear she saw stars in Tomiko's eyes.

"That's right! I'm Aoki Masaru!"

"My name's Tomiko. It's nice to meet you!" Aoki and Tomiko had started moving away from the group chatting happily.

"Let's give thanks for Aoki's bizarre tastes." The one named Takamura bowed his head and put his hands together, like he was giving a short prayer as an offering. Kumi wondered what he meant.

"Hey Ippo, why don't we all go and get something to eat? It'll be fun."

"But we aren't done yet Kimura! We've only done 93 squats so far, we still have more than a 100 to go!" Ippo was doing that many? Kumi found her eyes going up and down his body. He was a really strong and dedicated person.

"Tomiko and I just got here. So why don't you continue your training while we swim for a bit? Lunch after that sounds wonderful. I'm sure Tomiko will agree." Meeting Ippo's friends would be great if they were anything like he boyfriend. Tomiko wouldn't mind either.

"OK Kumi-san! We'll leave when you're ready!" Kumi nodded.

Tomiko didn't want to stop talking with Aoki, but when Kumi told her they'd all be going out to eat later she seemed quite agreeable. In the back of her head Kumi kept track of the rhythmic splashes that signified another set of squats. When they'd done one hundred and seven more she went over to Ippo. The lunch afterwards was very nice. He had such wonderful friends. Tomiko kept going on about Aoki as they walked back to the station after eating. Kumi wondered if her friend might be getting a boyfriend of her own soon.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooo

*Thunk* The medicine ball struck Sendou's stomach again. He gritted his teeth and tried to fight the nausea that accompanied the blow. This kind of training may have been necessary, but it wasn't any fun. Coming up with his new punches, that he had enjoyed, but this exercise was just boring. It was also fairly painful, but he wouldn't complain about something like that. Being to withstand Makunochi's left body-blow was surely going to come into play in their match. It was a punch that Ippo always threw. If Sendou had the talent as a counter-puncher that Ryuuhei did, then he might not have to plan on taking the hit. His friend had good enough timing to predict and avoid even a close-range punch like that.

*Thunk* His coach wouldn't hit him as hard as he'd like too. From watching Makunochi's fight tapes he knew that his next opponent was fully capable of cracking ribs with a punch. Seriously injuring himself wouldn't help any, so he had to be content with practicing withstanding weaker blows.

*Thunk* Ippo's KO pattern was pretty consistent. A left body blow followed by a right over-hand. The two punches always came together, when the first connected. If he was going to bait Makunochi into throwing that overhand he couldn't block or avoid the body-blow. Like Rocky Marciano, he'd win by being tougher. Take a punch so he could return one.

*Thunk* Ok, that last one hurt. All the more reason to practice. Especially since his smash was the perfect counter to the following over-hand. He'd been anticipating this match for almost a year now! It was a long time to wait, but he'd have his rematch.

*Thunk* Sendou would take Makunochi's best shot, and then attack back. That was how real men fought, and he was determined that this upcoming fight not end in anything other than a knockout. A real one.

* * *

"We will now have the Class-A tournament's Feather Weight final match! Scheduled for 10 rounds! It's a rematch between Makunochi Ippo and Sendou Takeshi! These two boxers previously met in the finals for the Rookie King Tournament! Will history repeat itself with a Makunochi win? Or will Sendou emerge victorious!?"

"In the red corner, from the Naniwa Boxing Gym, weighing 125 and 1 quarter pounds: The Naniwa Tiger: Sendooooooooooooou TA-KE-SHI!"

"His opponent, in the blue corner, from the Kamogawa Boxing Gym, weighing 125 pounds even: The man with the Dynamite Punch: Makunoooooooooochi IPPO!"

"One of the most anticipated fights of the entire tournament is about to take place!"

At the sound of the bell, Sendou left his corner. Ippo had charged out at their previous match, but this time the smaller fighter was approaching at a controlled pace also. The two of them met in the center of the ring. Sendou had a lower guard - an aggressive stance. Ippo was in his peek-a-boo style and was slightly swaying to the left and right. Now was the time. He'd show Makunochi just how strong he was. A jab. Proof of his power. Ippo increased the speed of his sway and the punch hit nothing but air. An immediate left jab came flying back. Sendou knew how fast and strong Makunochi's punches were already. The sound of the jab impacting his guard rang out.

With that, Sendou started his offense in earnest. No more jabs. A powerful hook blew over Ippo's head. Sendou's attack was furious, but Ippo's defense didn't falter. Again and again he threw a powerful punch, only to have it barely miss it's mark. Ippo was relying on swaying and jabs - a weak attack. As the round continued Sendou was becoming more and more agitated. His feints were completely ineffective. Ippo managed to dodge or block everything, but at the cost of only throwing an occasional jab. Was Makunochi not going to use any real punches? His answer came when another of his hooks barely missed. Suddenly Ippo moved from medium to close range. Sendou blocked the body blow that followed, but a hook connected. The fight had suddenly turned into a hitting match. Ippo was throwing powerful punches, and all of them were hitting cleanly. On the 3rd body shot Sendou threw one of his own.

*Thud*

The two punches landed simultaneously.

*Thud*

Again they connected at the same time. If it meant he could land a punch, Sendou would take everything Ippo could throw head-on. His next punched missed, but his opponent's didn't. Another simultaneous exchange followed, but then Sendou couldn't land a punch. If his punches didn't connect he couldn't build his rhythm. He had a punch Ippo couldn't dodge though. The next time he swung it would be waiting for him, but the next attack didn't come.

Makunochi had moved backwards and was swaying again, prioritizing defense over pursuing their exchange. Sendou made to jab, then dashed forward. A jab hit his face, but it wasn't enough to drive him back. In a fraction of a second the two of them were at super close range. Whoever retreated first would be at a disadvantage. A sharp pain struck Sendou's stomach. It was Ippo's 10-cm punch. From watching the tapes, Sendou knew that the distance Makunochi had placed himself at during their first match wasn't purely defensive. He possessed a punch that could be thrown at an ultra short range. Sendou assumed that it was the damage from his smash that had kept the attack at bay. At this range, hooks, jabs, uppercuts, body-blows - none of them would work - at least not like they usually did. Ippo had a 10-cm punch that was a body blow capable of being thrown with no wind up. Sendou had been practicing his own short range move though - a 10-cm uppercut.

*BAP!*

The short upper went in-between Ippo's gloves and knocked his head up. The distance hadn't changed though. Ippo lowered his head and another punch hit Sendou's gut. The two of them traded blow after blow until Ippo's head flew up and he staggered back. Now! Sendou threw a smash. Ippo guarded both it and the straight that followed. From behind his gloves Sendou could see blood on his opponent's face. His punches may had been blocked, but that didn't matter! Again and again he drove his fists into Ippo's guard. Then Ippo's retreat was stopped by the corner. This was it. Sendou punched again and a again. Ippo's shell would crack...

*Thud!*

A clean hit. One flowed after another, then a right hook knocked Makunochi down.

"Down! To your corner!" The referee started counting, but Sendou didn't listen to him. He watched Ippo get to one knee, then try to stand. Good! He could still fight! At 8 the count was stopped and the match continued.

*ding*ding*ding* The round ended before he could capitalize on Ippo's damage.

* * *

"*zeh*zeh* Sendou-san's amazing! *zeh* To *zeh* throw an uppercut like that."

"Save your praise for your opponent for after the match kid."

"*zeh* If I don't throw stronger punches...*zeh* He'll just drive *zeh* in again."

"Exactly! You need to attack! Take your fist and drive it into his gut!"

"*zeh* Should *zeh* I use Dempsey Roll?"

"Your lower-body's good, but it won't work if he rushed in again. You have to drive him back with your strength first!"

"OK!"

*ding*ding*ding*

The 2nd round had started. Ippo wasted no time dashing from his corner. The two fighters met in the middle of the ring. Once there, both he and Sendou widened their stances. Neither would be moving from that spot unless they were forced. Ippo's hook was blocked, and Sendou's returning punch was dodged. For a while it seemed as if the two boxers might not connect even in this situation. Ippo landed the first clean punch of the round: a right body-blow. Sendou's straight connected next. Again and again they pounded each other, neither one backing down. The exchange seemed to favor Sendou. He had more body-mass and the difference in their builds began to show. Pressing his advantage, Sendou threw a smash. Ippo reacted without thinking. A 3/4 straight countered the punch, and the right-hand smash that followed a few seconds later. Sendou hadn't used the smash with his dominate hand in their first encounter, but Yamada-kun had during their sparring.

Ippo could see Yamada-kun across from him. There was almost nothing the same between his former kouhai and Sendou, but Yamada's smash had gotten Ippo used to the motion. Now that they were in a hitting match, Ippo was using a more aggressive stance already. A hitting stance was required for his counter to work since it depended on a large movement of the arms. For all the damage he was doing, Sendou refused to fall. The other boxer didn't seem to slow down in the slightest. The third smash was also countered, and Ippo followed up with a long upper. He could feel Sendou's weight on his fist as he lifted his opponent up with that punch.

"Down! Go to a neutral corner!"

Ippo moved where the ref directed him. Sendou was face up on the mat. His eyes were open, but there wasn't any movement.

"1!...2!...3!...4!...5!...6!.." Sendou blinked and then sat up. By "8!" he was up and in his pose again.

"Fight!"

If Sendou landed a hit, he'd rally. Ippo had seen his opponent do it multiple times. The fighting spirit that he possessed would drive him forward. To finish him, Ippo had to act now, before he got his bearings. Two jabs preceded a liver blow. All connected cleanly, and Ippo reversed his rotation to throw a right overhand...

"7!" Someone was yelling at him. To the side he saw Kamogawa-sensei. His coach was banging on the mat.

"8!" He'd been knocked down. Ippo struggled to his feet - pulling himself up with the ropes.

"9!" It was taking so long. He had to get up.

"1-" Ippo took his stance. The world was spinning and he couldn't seem to move his legs, but it was enough for the referee.

"Fight!"

Sendou charged him. Ippo blocked his punch, but it still knocked him backwards. Thankfully he was already at the ropes, which prevented him from falling again. Every punch of Sendou's caused damage through his guard. His stomach shots knocked the air from his lungs, and his head blows made Ippo black out for a split-second. How much longer would the round last? Ippo couldn't look at the round clock. Even if he could, he didn't know if he could...

*ding*ding*ding*

Somehow he made it back to his corner, and stool materialized underneath him.

"*zeh* Wha-*zeh*-What happened?"

"He countered your right overhand. You need to end the combination with the body-blow more often!"

"Y-Yeah.." Kamogawa-sensei was right. Ippo was so caught up in his familiar moves that he hadn't noticed the counter coming at all.

"Defense isn't going to win! Drive him back!"

"*zeh*Yes, *zeh* Coach!"

*ding*ding*ding*

* * *

This was the fight he'd wanted. The fight he should've had their first match. Makunochi took some prodding to come out of his shell, but he was an exhilarating opponent after he switched to a more offensive style. Sendou hurt where he'd been struck. He didn't remember the punch that'd knocked him down the first time. What would Ippo do next? If he threw a power punch, then a step-in wouldn't work. Worse still, it'd have both of their weights behind it. If he focused on defense then bringing the fight to ultra-short range was the only way to progress.

As the two of them approached each other, Makunochi was swaying again. What to do? The hell with it! When in doubt: attack! Sendou leaned forward. Two steps would bring him into range. Jabs wouldn't stop him.

*Thud*

That wasn't a jab. Ippo's hook had caught him in the temple. It was hard to think, hard to see, hard to hear. He had to attack! That lone thought persisted in his mind. He could feel his fist connect with something, but another blow crashed into his gut. In front of him he could make out Makunochi's form. His swaying was much more pronounced. It was also different... It no longer was only side to side, a forward and back motion was being incorporated. Sendou's instincts screamed that this was dangerous. He had to stop that motion! He had to use his low smash!

The smash was a combination hook/uppercut. Hard to use, but harder to dodge. Aiming it at Ippo wouldn't work. His upper-body was capable of too wide a range of motion. A combination body-blow/uppercut would work though. The motion was almost the same, and the weight-shifting involved was arguably easier. Sendou aimed at Makunochi's gut.

*THWACK!*

He could feel the punch land. He threw a straight to follow up. His blows were connecting! This was the time to attack! He could feel the energy of the crowd. The chants that reverberated through the auditorium. He wouldn't let them down! He had to win if he was going to keep his promise of becoming the champ! Over and over his punches hit. Ippo had started blocking them, but Sendou drove forward. Fueled by his determination, he wasn't going to back down!

Ippo was almost to the ropes, but he surged forward. His entire body moved and rotated. It was a punch he'd thrown countless times, and he knew how to execute it perfectly: a Liver Blow! It connected. Even with his training, Sendou was momentarily stopped. That punch had definitely cracked 2 of his ribs. In front of him, Makunochi was reversing his motion - preparing to throw a right. Sendou threw a left smash, but Ippo wasn't aiming for a right over-hand. He wasn't even aiming at his head. The right straight hit Sendou squarely in the chest. The impact drove him backwards.

In front of him Ippo was beginning that same figure 8 motion. Sendou's body was barely moving. It was like time had slowed down. His arms were tingling. His feet didn't want to budge, but he'd make them... Then Ippo dashed forward. He swayed to the left, but the punch came from the right. The shock nearly tore Sendou's head off, but it also got his body started again. Another punch from the left. Sendou blocked, but before he could capitalize a hook from the right was thrown. The punches were coming too fast. They all were knockout blows too. Each and every one of them had Ippo full weight behind them. Sendou felt them through his guard, but it was nothing like when they started landing un-contested. He wouldn't fall. He couldn't fall!

* * *

"Down! Get to a neutral corner!" Ippo moved away. He could feel his body beginning to bruise. His legs were killing him, but he could barely feel them over the damage Sendou's punches had caused. The Dempsey Roll had worked! Now the question was if it was enough to keep someone like Sendou down.

"1!"

"2!"

"3!"

"4!"

"5!"

"6!" Please don't open your eyes Ippo thought. Sendou had gone from motionless to a full-stance in this match already. Ippo hoped it wasn't going to occur again.

"7!"

"8!"

"9!" The crowd was cheering. It was too loud. Sendou had responded to the crowd while unconscious before...

"10!"

"Makunochi Ippo is the victor!"

* * *

In the stands above Date Eiji had a good view of the final moments of the match. So Makunochi had a move like that... The Dempsey Roll? Date had only heard of one technique that matched up with what he'd just seen. Ippo really was the strongest challenger. Before that final flurry, he'd thrown a Heartbreak Shot. Was it on purpose? The accuracy wasn't great and there was no spin on the punch, but there was enough raw strength to compensate. It did prove what he suspected about Sendou Takeshi. The Naniwa Tiger was strong and tough, but his lack of defense would've made for a short fight. If he didn't guard his chest, then a real Heartbreak Shot would've wrapped things up quickly.

Makunochi's power, stamina and defensive ability - these were already world-class. If Date wanted to stand a chance against Ricardo Martinez then he'd have to be able to overcome this level of challenge. He's make the perfect opponent for his final match as the Japanese Champion.

K.O. Time 3rd Round: 2 minutes 39 seconds

Macunochi Ippo Victory

Class-A Tournament Victor

Received the Most Talented Boxer Award!

10-0-0 10 K.O.s


	13. The Champion

The Champion

With his victory over Sendou, Ippo would be facing off against Date next. This was the goal. The reason Tree-sama had sent him back. Date was one of the best champions that Japan had ever produced. A chance to fight with someone like that happened once in a lifetime - usually. The very thought made Ippo nervous. This would be the ultimate goal of the last 2 years of training. There was another reason for his nerves. Mashiba had also won his tournament, and Kumi wanted to celebrate both of their victories.

Ippo really liked spending time with Kumi. She was cute, funny and easy to talk with. Spending time with her was almost as fun as training. Actually, it wasn't right to compare Ippo's favorite past-times. They were enjoyable in different ways. That said, Ippo dreaded going to her house. They saw each other a few times a week, and the feeling of dread that had accompanied their first month or so of dating had disappeared. It must have been brought on by imagining what her elder brother would do if he saw them together. Ippo got the same exact shivers down his spine when he encountered the elder Mashiba. Ryou (not that Ippo would dare use his first name in a conversation) didn't like him. Ippo noticed that he was becoming increasingly flustered around the younger Mashiba sibling since he really wanted to call her 'Kumi-chan' or hold her hand, but the idea of doing so was petrifying.

"Ah Ippo-san! Welcome!" Kumi's smiling face met him at the door.

"H-Hello." Ippo weakly smiled back.

"Come in! Ryou-chan! Ippo-san is here!"

"..." Mashiba was slouched in a sitting position at his usual spot. He didn't speak, but Ippo could feel his glare.

"I-I heard you won your tournament... uhm... I bet you'll take the championship next!"

"Oh! I forgot the juice! I'll be right back. Don't cut the cake until I return, OK?"

Before Ippo could object, Kumi was out the door. This happened every time he came over. Once again, Ippo sat in uncomfortable silence. The aura of dread surrounding Mashiba was almost palpable by now. Kumi wouldn't be leaving him with her brother on purpose...would she?

* * *

Stamina would be important in the next match. Date had started running with a sick mask on again. It made breathing difficult and pushed his body to the limit. He had to get used to moving while his body was depleted of oxygen. Makunochi's stamina was monstrous and he was 2/3rds his age. With the kid's defense, the fight stood a good chance of going into the later rounds. While Date could box at full strength for 10 rounds, even one of his next opponent's punches could rob him of several minutes of stamina. The Makunochi today was stronger and faster than the one he'd faced in the spar. Back then, he hadn't exposed his chest no matter what. Date couldn't count on the heart-break shot ending things early.

Close range was Makunochi's. He had that devastating 10-cm punch, and corkscrew blows couldn't land either. Date would have to punish him for claiming that ground, and then move before it got too dangerous. Thankfully, the kid's peek-a-boo style and head-swaying left one significantly sized hole in his defense. Neck-twisting and shuffle blocking could diffuse a lot of his power, but not all of it. Maintaining an offense would be difficult. The sheer power that Ippo possessed was intimidating by itself. Factoring in the Dempsey Roll made for a very scary opponent. Not that Makunochi's new move didn't have any weaknesses. Date could try for a counter, but that wasn't his strongest suit. Missing the timing by a fraction of a second would spell disaster. If his plan worked, the Dempsey would never get off the ground.

The scar on his nose was acting up again. Every year at this time it throbbed. When it got colder, Date remembered that day. He didn't want to remember the day he lost everything, but scar wouldn't listen to his desires. He had been so young then, so talented. He didn't think there was anyone in the world that could stand against the power of his fists. He was taking on the world and winning. The only opponent left was Ricardo Martinez. His wife was pregnant with their first child, and soon he'd become the world champion and force her family to accept him. That one match had been the start of everything. Date had thought it was a start of a wonderful new chapter of his life, but it had turned out to be the exact opposite.

Martinez had been better than him, and not by a small amount either. The new Champion's skill and power had both been leagues beyond Date's. He'd been completely crushed in just 2 rounds. With his hopes for the World Championship as shattered as his nose, he returned to Japan. While he was over the Pacific, his wife had been in an accident. Aiko-chan had fallen. It had nearly cost her life, but instead fate had taken their unborn child away. It was 6 years ago, but Date remembered it like it had happened yesterday. As illogical as it was, a part of him thought that if he had just won that one fight against the champion, then his wife and baby girl would've been ok. The feeling that it was his personal failure that had resulted her accident wouldn't go away. Over and over he relived every second of his fight with Ricardo Martinez, wondering what he could've done differently if given a chance. If his wife hadn't pressured him to make a comeback 2 years ago, he might still be a salaryman. Trapped in the past, and unable to enjoy the present. Making a come-back at his age was unheard of, yet his goal was the same. Ricardo had reigned undefeated. A chance to fight a champion like that came around once a lifetime, but for Date it was going to occur twice. The goal of the last 2 years of training was approaching. He hoped that fighting Makunochi would awaken his old fire. That going up against such a strong challenger would in some way return his youth to him. Once he won, he'd denounce the title and start moving up the world ranks. At the top Martinez awaited him.

* * *

"Champion's weight...over."

Takamura looked at the scale. He hadn't made weight, but he was off by a measly 200g. Like that would stop him.

"Hmph, the re-weighing is in three hours right?"

"Takamura..." The old man was worried, but it was baseless.

"I'll go and shed it off."

It was winter and hard to work up a sweat, but 200g in 3 hours would be easy. First he'd do some road-work. As he was running past the fair grounds he heard someone coming up from behind. Takamura twisted his head to see...Ippo.

"Takamura-san!"

"What do you want?" Takamura wiped his forehead, but all he felt was dry skin.

"I going to come with Takamura-san. I know you can lose the weight, but I want to cheer you on." And in a quieter voice: "and be there if you faint in the sauna."

"You're worrying for nothing!" Like he'd faint from a little heat! "Don't say things like that! You'll make me worried too!" Even if Ippo didn't have psychic powers (which Takamura was now certain of), saying something like that was disheartening.

Thankfully Ippo accompanied him inside the sauna. After his warning, Takamura wouldn't have gone by himself. He was the Champion. It was a special title. The Champion was above everyone else, but where did that leave him in regard to fate and someone who could see the future? Across from him, Ippo seemed lost in his own thoughts. Probably worrying about...that...guy he'd fight. What was his name? It was getting harder to think... The room was spinning, or was that him? 'Crud, Ippo's prediction came true.' was the last thought that Takamura had.

He awoke outside the sauna where Ippo had dragged him. He felt horrible, but he was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. All he had to do was get back and get weighed, then he could rehydrate himself. If the gods were going to bestow psychic power on someone who wasn't him, he was glad it was someone like Ippo that got them. His kouhai was a good person.

* * *

Ippo sat in Takamura's dressing room. The Champion Carnival was about to start. The matches occurred by descending weight-class, so Takamura's match was at the start while Ippo's was still several weeks away. Takamura was looking good considering he nearly failed his weight-training. Being so far under his ideal weight must be hard, but his was the heaviest weight class that Japanese boxing possessed. The match was about to start. As Ippo followed his senpai out into the hallway, he saw a familiar figure.

"Date-san!"

"...I came to see him off, but this is the first time I've experienced such a heavy feeling before one of his matches."

"His weight-training..."

"I've heard the story. A strong opponent and a botched weight loss, it'll be a tough fight even for Takamura. If the Champion falls in the carnival opener, it's like a beacon, and Champions fall all over the place. It's a bad omen..."

"Takamura-san won't lose. I'm sure of it!"

"Is that so? Then he'll definitely win. To have someone support him this much - his punches will be heavy tonight. He will not fall. That carries over to us, as well. Your punches are light. I won't fall to them."

"I-I may not have as many people's hopes riding on my punches as a champion...b-b-but m-my punches carry weight as well!"

"Is that so? We'll find out soon enough I suppose." With that, Date turned and walked towards the arena.

When Ippo made it to where Aoki and Kimura were watching, Takamura was already in a tight spot. His condition wasn't at it's peek. Ippo wouldn't make the same mistake he'd made at the night Takamura claimed the belt.

"GO! GO! TAKAMURA!" He'd cheer with everything he had!

Takamura lost the first round, but in the second he made a comeback. His opponent had a strong offense and good punches, but as soon as Takamura scored an uppercut it only took two more punches to get the knock-out. With that, Takamura had defended the title for a 3rd straight time.

* * *

His little sister had gone ahead and thrown a party for him for winning the championship. She wanted it on that same night, so none of his co-workers were able to make it - not that it bothered Mashiba very much that they weren't there. Once again however, she'd invited that Makunochi punk. How could he have lost to such a weakling? Mashiba glared at his uninvited guest. Kumi had 'forgotten' to get drinks again. She was so transparent. Beating Makunochi into a bloody pulp would be so satisfying. It was only because of how much Kumi seemed to like him that Mashiba didn't pummel the worthless punk. Ippo was saying something stupid and pointless. Again. It'd be so easy to just shut his mouth by force...

Except the fight tonight HAD been tough, and Makunochi wasn't the weakling he seemed to be. Mashiba was dead tired. The 7 round fight had taken 27 minutes, 21 minutes of that had been actual fighting. It was a long time to box, and instead of going to bed he had to sit here with his sister's boyfriend just because she wanted them to get along...

Makunochi was rambling on about his upcoming fight. The punk didn't have any guts at all. Worrying about some over-the-top champion who was well past his prime. Listening to him go on was so annoying! He should just tell him to get out of his apartment...

That would make Kumi sad though. He'd sworn that she'd be happy, and if that meant putting up with Makunochi's inane chatter then he do it.

"...yeah, he sounds tough."

What do you know? All it took was one little sentence to get some peace and quite. The surprised look on Makunochi's face was pretty funny too. Mashiba held back the smile. The strain of doing so stung where he'd taken that counter in the 5th round, but he wasn't about to let his sister's boyfriend think they were getting along!

* * *

"Masaruuuu!" Takamura was standing outside the gym with Aoki and Kimura. The three of them were about to leave when a high-pitched voice called out Aoki's first name.

"Tomikoooo!" Aoki waved at an approaching figure. As she got closer, Takamura recognized her as the...woman...from the swimming pool. Curse Aoki and his taste in woman if it caused them to hang out at the gym! Aoki blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head. "Iyaaah... She said she wanted to see where I practiced."

"That so." Kimura answered at the same time as he did.

The four of them went inside. Tomiko looked around with interest. "It's got such a unique smell."

"That's the scent of sweat and vaseline - the smell of a fighting man." Aoki was really hamming it up. "Oh yeah, were you guys going to ask me something."

"No, forget it." "It's not like it woulda been right anyway." Takamura had wanted to get Aoki to make a prediction for Ippo's match. As fun as it'd be to mock him later about it, the cost of spending time with his new female friend wasn't worth it.

"Oh, but there's a really good way Tomiko showed me." Aoki turned to her and asked: "Did you bring them."

"Yeah." She pulled a deck of cards from her purse.

"OOOH, those're real tarot cards. Are you a fortune teller like Aoki?" Kimura was interested at least.

"Nah, she's much better than I am." So's a coin.

Kimura had come up to look at the cards, but Takamura stayed back with a contemplative look. "And you want to foretell how Ippo's going to do?" Given what'd he'd seen of Ippo's strange powers, perhaps a fortune of him would be helpful.

"That was the plan."

"Ok then, lets see what she's got, but if she's wrong you'll be giving me free ramen for the next 10 years!" There. Now it was a win-win situation.

Aoki led them to a side room. It didn't take her very long to pull some disturbing things out of her purse. "First we must setup the proper objects of power: A skull of a shinto priest with a sacred candle on top, a crystal ball taken from a dead gypsy's grave." Tomiko gave nerve-rattling descriptions of the creepy-looking objects that came from her purse.

"..." The room was strangely quite. The only light came from the candle on the top of the skull.

"Takamura-san, this isn't good. I get the feeling it'll actually be right." Kimura was falling for her act.

"Keh, don't be fooled by the atmosphere. It's just a bluff." Of course if Ippo had psychic powers, then it wasn't impossible that this girl had them too. All of this was just for show though.

"SH! Tomiko's skills require extreme concentration. Please be quite." What a good little boyfriend Aoki was.

"6..." The sound came from Tomiko, but it was a gravely voice far different from her usual high pitch.

"What about 6?"

"It's ominous... a very ominous number...earlier...after a difficult match, you... six times..."

"What the hell's that?" "I don't get it, could you be a bit more specific?" Wait. Six times? Takamura hadn't been able to...relieve himself while he was on his diet. After his match last night, he'd done it...how many times again? ...6 times! No way. There's no way she'd know that...

"To be more specific..." No way. No way. "Last night, you..." She knew! She knew! "you..."

"I was wrong! Please don't say it! Please... besides...aren't we here for Ippo's prediction not mine?" Yeah, that was a smooth way to distract everyone. After everything died down, or were punched down, the seance continued.

"I... see..." One after another Tomiko dealt cards from the tarot deck. "I... see... a... new... beginning..." Well, that was what Ippo had referred to his boxing as. "A... repeated... challenge..." Right, a rematch of the spar he and the old man had. "A... great... obstacle..." 'Great' was pushing it. Date was good, but great? "Inner doubt..." Well, duh, it was Ippo. "Lack of... harmony..." Get to the end! Tell us the outcome! Takamura didn't voice his thoughts though. "I... see..." Tomiko reached for the final card. When the last one was played, everything would make sense.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!" The door to the room swung open. A furious-looking Kamogawa was silhouetted in the doorway. Everyone in the room had jumped and yelled in surprise. "What are you idiots up to? Don't you know that telling a boxer what's going to happen can have a large mental impact?"

"Geez, relax old man. Ippo's not even here." Takamura retorted. Plus, it wasn't like Ippo did't already know. Not that they'd believe him if he told them about his kouhai's strange powers.

"If you guys got a fortune told, there's no way you'd be quite about it before the fight! The kid's gullible enough to believe something foolish like that!" Well, he had a point there.

* * *

"The fighters will enter the ring. We will now begin the champion carnival of the Japanese Featherweight class."

"In the red corner, from Nakadai Gym, weighting in at 125 and one-forth pounds! The Japanese Featherweight Champioooooooon: DATE EI~JI!"

"And in the blue corner, from Kamogawa Gym, weighting in at 125 pounds even! The Japanese Featherweight Top Seed: Makunochiiiii IP~PO!"

"Will the champion retain his title, having only ever suffered one lost in the past?! Or will the undefeated challenger continue his streak?! The match is about to begin!"

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rung and Date moved the center of the ring. Makunochi was already swaying side to side, as soon as he got into range Date threw a left jab. The challenger managed to move to the side and make it a glancing blow, then he dashed in. Ippo began to throw short and compact body blows. At such a close range under constant attack, throwing a corkscrew blow wouldn't be possible. That was obviously the plan the Kamogawa Gym had come up with for the match. His punches were strong, but with such little variation blocking them was simple. The problem was that Date's arms were starting to sting from just blocking.

He'd never been one for defense anyways. At this rate the round would be over without any serious offense on his part. A short uppercut brought the challenger's offense to an end. Ippo swayed momentarily from the hit, but then dashed in again - pressing the attack. Date was a little taken back my Makunochi's assault. From what he'd seen of the challenger, he wasn't this ferocious at the start of a match. Well, that suited him just fine. The sheer power of Ippo's punches had managed to drive him to the ropes, and his next uppercut missed the challenger's head and left him unable to defend. The body-blow sent a shockwave through his torso, but it'd take more than that to stop him. Makunochi had kept his head down after landing his first clean hit, and seemed to be about to throw a right as a follow-up. A clinch was out of the question for multiple reasons, but you could't land a punch for free against the champion!

Date pushed against Ippo and shoved him to the side. Now that they were even with the ropes, he had some room to back-step. Date could feel the wind from Makunochi's next punch, but the breeze just meant that he'd managed to get out of Ippo's range. Date cocked his fist, then threw a corkscrew blow. Ippo managed to block it, but the force stopped his advance. Date followed up with a left-right, then the round bell rang.

*ding*ding*ding*

"How're you doing? You took a good one there."

"My side aches already, but I've matched his shadow to my image. I didn't expect him to be on the offense so early."

"I thought he'd try that move he knocked Sendou out with."

"Well, if he did: we'd get to see if my counter-measures work." Date smiled. Makunochi really was the strongest challenger. He had a good plan that was backed up by the stamina of youth and his colossal strength. Date was sure a left hook from mid-range would come eventually if he waited, then the heartbreak shot would end the match. However, holding back wasn't his style and wasn't the way a champion behaved. He'd show Ippo the weight of years that had built up in his gloves.

*ding*ding*ding*

Makunochi was swaying in his compact peek-a-boo style. It was a defensive style that magnified his already impressive ability to take a punch. It wasn't without weaknesses though. Swaying was effective against punches like jabs and straights, and the peek-a-boo style protected Ippo's front and sides. A well-placed hook to the side of the head would require him to move his fist to block, but there were some punches that were better to dodge.

As the got into range, Makunochi dashed forward again. Date threw a right hook to just below his ear. It wasn't the normal spot that you aimed for - the temple was a much more damaging target, but a punch like that could open doors. Ippo staggered and Date began his offense. He managed to drive Makunochi back and land several clean hits. The challenger wasn't showing any signs of slowing down though. A left to the ear. A right to the temple. From their spar, Date had a good idea of what it'd take to crack open Ippo's shell.

The right body-blow caught him by surprise. Even while reeling under his assault, Makunochi had thrown a good one. He followed up with a liver blow. His punches were just too strong to block normally, but a cross-arm block left his head vulnerable. Ippo capitalized on this by throwing a right hook to the head immediately after his left was blocked.

*thunk*

Date saw the blow coming, and diffused it power by twisting his neck to the side at the moment of impact. By moving with the punch, the power was vastly reduced. In Makunochi's case, it still left his jaw aching. The kid was just too strong! Ippo rallied and began to land several 'clean' punches in a row. Neck twisting was difficult to do. If you were a split-second off, then the technique was useless. Date had confidence in his skills. After all, they were what was going to let him challenge the strongest man in the world again.

*thunk*thunk*thunk*

Makunochi's assault was relentless. He was a hard-puncher. He must've been able to tell that something was wrong with the impacts, but he doggedly threw hooks over and over, while alternating between the head and body. Date would neck twist or move his block with the punch for a similar result against he body-blows. Even considering how much effort was involved with such defensive tactics, and how much stamina they drained, Ippo should've been worse off in the exchange. It was costing them both stamina, but the younger boxer had more to spend. Even if his punches weren't having their normal effect, they were still effective in that regard.

*ding*ding*ding*

The bell rung, and Date moved back to his corner. That last round had taken a lot out of him and he was breathing heavily. He wouldn't show weakness though. He was the champion!

* * *

"Good job kid! He took a lot of damage that round!"

"*zeh* No.. *zeh* he was *zeh* reducing the hits *zeh*"

"What?"

"*zeh* My punches *zeh* felt light *zeh* but... *zeh* I know he took damage!"

"Then get back in there and punch, punch, punch! Don't let up!"

"Right!"

"Protect your chest! If he lands that punch of his the fight will be over!"

*ding*ding*ding*

Ippo dashed out of his corner. He'd regain the pace he'd set in the 2nd round! Approaching Date was difficult. The champion's punches were tough to block. He seemed to be able to find holes in Ippo's defense almost at will. To the spectators it must have looked like a brawl. The two boxers met in the center of the ring and exchanged blows. Ippo threw more punches, and landed more hits, but all of them felt weak. He'd press on! Date was hurting, he knew it! Their exchange felt like it had been going on for an hour, but it couldn't have been more than 2 minutes when Ippo's chance came.

He was feeling the damage from all the champion's punches, but in comparison Date was still going strong. Ippo ducked under one of his killer hooks. He'd done so before, but his returning uppercuts hadn't met any resistance when they connected. Ippo had hoped a vertical attack would be able to penetrate the champion's defense, but Date seemed to be able to minimize any head-shot. This time when he came up from dodging Date's punch, Ippo stepped in, swiveled his waist, and let fly a liver blow.

*THUD!*

He felt it! That punch had been heavy! He'd gotten through the champion's defense! Date had even buckled at the waist! It was the perfect chance! Horizontal and vertical punches didn't work, but an overhead punch while he was reeling from the liver blow would! Without even a split-second's though, Ippo reversed his rotation and brought his right hand down towards Date's head.

* * *

The pain was almost unbearable. In terms of raw power, Makunochi was probably superior to even Martinez. Date's muscles were burning and he couldn't catch his breath no matter how much air he gulped down. Even taking only 1/10th of the kids full strength was taking it's toll. He was a heavy puncher. Date had expected his moral to break when he couldn't feel the usual strength behind his attacks, but he didn't relent at all! It was close to the end of the round when he'd slipped up and took that body shot. In front of him, Ippo was starting to throw an overhead punch - it was his K.O. pattern. Date had a fraction of a second to react. He couldn't block. He couldn't dodge. He'd be unable to use his neck twist to negate damage from a punch like that! He only had one option. Date lurched forward and clinched.

He knew the punch was coming. It always came when Makunochi was clinched. Knowing allowed him to withstand the 10 cm punch, but the damage was done. His ribs creaked. Makunochi might have broken one or two. It was the cost he had to pay to avoid a knockdown, so Date gladly sacrificed his gut. Under his arms he could feel Ippo shifting again - probably getting ready to throw another punch. There was no way he'd get away with hitting him without paying a price! Date shoved Ippo back, and then caught him with an uppercut of his own. The motion made a sharp pain emanate from his side, but Date's punch connected cleanly.

There was now distance between the two of them again. Ippo was looked like he was in bad shape, but Date could see the fight left in his eyes. Makunochi dashed forward, but then...

*ding*ding*ding*

The referee stepped between them. The 3rd round was over.

* * *

"You're doing good kid!"

Ippo was breathing heavily. He wanted to talk to his coach, but his body needed oxygen too much for him to be able to. He'd felt those hits! His head was swimming, and it was getting difficult to move, but at the end of the round he'd connected with two full strength punches. Date was injured. Now was the time to use the Dempsey Roll!

*ding*ding*ding*

Ippo moved forward. Standing up from the corner took so much effort, but he'd come too far. This was his chance! This was his goal! He wouldn't lay down and stop! Date was moving slower too. If his legs hadn't recovered during the break, now would be the perfect opportunity. Ippo began his left and right swaying and dashed in. His arms felt like lead, but he pressed the champion. Date lost ground until he was back against the ropes from Ippo's punches. His punches were feeling heavier with each hit! Date's defense was faltering. Up close, his swaying turned into a figure eight motion. Date was throwing punches, but the added back and forth movement was making them miss their marks. Now he was in full gear! It'd taken a lot of energy to get started, and Ippo didn't think he could manage it another time, but now his punches could flow continuously and overwhelm the champion!

*thud*

The first punch landed! It was a solid blow too! Ippo could feel his fist pushing Date to the side, rather than the light impact he'd been getting before.

*whoosh*

The second punch missed? How?

"Down! Get to a neutral corner!"

What?

"1!"

"2!"

"3!"

"4!"

"5!"

"6!"

"7!"

* * *

It wasn't a good plan. More like an emergency backup. Date had fallen on purpose after the first punch. He'd tried to diffuse it, but he was just too tired. It enraged his sense of pride, but he knew that if he was trapped in Makunochi's technique he'd be knocked out. Falling down on purpose was conceding defeat...at that moment. The kid had gotten him, but if he wanted to finish him off it'd take more! The Dempsey Roll let the user fire multiple punches at little stamina cost while constantly dodging. In terms of stamina usage, it was a tremendous deal... if you got more than one punch out of it.

Date waited for the count to get to 8 before standing back up. It'd take more than one punch to keep him down. In terms of stamina, both he and Ippo were reaching their limits. That last exchange may had scored Makunochi more points, but the winner in terms of how much damage was done was him.

"Fight!"

Ippo looked dead on his feet, but Date could tell that the challenger still had fight left in him. As soon as the referee signaled for the the match continue, he started that figure 8 motion again. This time he'd done it before closing the distance to close range, and Date wasn't against the ropes. A quick back step coincided with cocking his fist. The distance was perfect, and Makunochi was throwing a left hook as part of the Dempsey. His heart was open.

*THUNK!*

The heartbreak shot was perfect! Makunochi froze. Date's ribs hurt, but he'd put his full power behind this next blow. With no defense, and in his current state - Ippo would fall and would not be getting back up!

"Stop!"

* * *

Kamogawa shouted a warning when the brat started his Dempsey Roll for the second time. He was too far away! Date could put him in corkscrew blow range with a simple backstep! Time seemed to freeze not only for Ippo when the heartbreak shot connected. This was the moment Kamogawa had feared. Date's new finisher, he'd only seen it once, but that was enough for him to fear it. The heartbreak shot itself didn't cause much damage, but it had left Ippo completely vulnerable. A hit like what was coming could cripple a fighter. Makunochi had unprecedented potential, but if he took too much damage his career would be cut short just like too many aspiring boxers before him.

"What are you waiting for? Throw the towel!" Yagi was screaming beside him.

They had decided beforehand that if Date landed his Sunday Punch that they'd forfeit. It only made sense. The haymaker that was to come would definitely result in a knockdown. Ippo would suffer major damage, and for what? Even if he could stand up from a blow that strong, even if there wasn't any permeant damage, winning the fight after that wouldn't be possible. The kid had spirit. He trained like a mad man, but could he force his body to move after taking such a hit? The corner man's responsibility was to ensure his fighter came back safe. In that sense, throwing the towel was the sanest choice - the only choice.

The towel was in the air. Before it hit the ground, the referee was between the two fighters. Kamogawa hoped that Ippo would forgive him. He may have lost, but he hadn't taken much damage. That fact may prolong his career, but at the same time it would increase the psychological damage of the kid's first loss. As his coach, Kamogawa hoped he'd made the right decision.

K.O. Time 4th Round: 1 minute 55 seconds

Macunochi Ippo Unable to take the Japanese Feather-Weight Title

10-1-0

* * *

Epilogue

Ippo stared up at Tree-sama. It'd been so long since he'd been here. So many things had happened. Despite everything he'd done, the second chance he'd been given, in the end...

*sigh*

His main goal. The purpose he though he'd come back for. His rematch with Date had ended with his defeat.

*sigh*

Perhaps Tree-sama would give him another shot... This time he could practice the Dempsey earlier, and not use it until the Date fight! He could also redo the Rookie King Tournament! Fight Miyata. Give Sendou a better match... But things were different with him and Sendou now. The other boxer and him hadn't met outside the ring. They weren't friends...

Well, he could fix that! He could befriend both Sendou and Volg this time, just like he'd done before! All that he needed to do was... break his fist.

*sigh*

"I-Ippo-kun?"

Kun? She'd called him kun? Kumi was standing on the hillside looking at him. She'd invited him to go to the carnival to help him get over his loss, just like before. The though of going though that scary tunnel had caused Ippo to ask if they could go for a walk instead. That had wound up with them passing the side of the road where Tree-sama rested. (  
Unbeknownst to Ippo, it had also resulted in Mashiba spending a long night fruitless searching for his little sister at the carnival so he could defend her honor.)

He'd lost the friendship he'd had with Sendou and Volg, but if he went back in time he'd lose what he'd shared with Kumi. Ippo might not even be able to travel to the past again. Even if he could...would it be worth it? He'd decided that not meeting Miyata in the finals wasn't so bad since they could fight in the future. The same was true for Sendou and Volg. Easier even! He could visit their gyms! Become their friend by his own actions! He wouldn't give up what he'd shared with Kumi, and he wouldn't let opportunities slip through his fingers either!

Ippo walked up the hill. He'd been afraid of a lot of things, but fearing what might come if he was more open with the girl in front of him was stupid. Ippo could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as he reached down and gently took Kumi's hands in his own.

"K-Kumi-ch-chan... I... I... l-like you. I'm really glad we met! S-Sorry it's taken me so long to say so." Ippo avoided her gaze and concentrated on his shoes. He felt her slender fingers pull away from his grasp and move to his chin. Kumi raised his head up and looked into his eyes.

"Ippo-kun, I like you and I'm glad we met too!"


End file.
